Election integrity, the bedrock of American democracy, has been subjected to a direct assault in Alaska, as new revelations expose a calculated Democrat-led scheme to deceive voters in the crucial 2026 Senate race. In response to these egregious allegations, Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) has launched a full-scale probe, demanding critical records from key operatives reportedly involved in the ballot manipulation.
The Badger State Republican sent a series of urgent records preservation requests this Thursday to individuals named in an alleged plot designed to confuse Alaskan voters. The audacious plan involved recruiting Alaskans who share the same name as the incumbent GOP Senator Dan S. Sullivan, aiming to dilute his support and potentially hand control of the U.S. Senate to the radical left for the next two years.
“Every American should want to restore confidence and integrity to our election system,” Senator Johnson declared in a powerful statement. “The New York Times report on the conspiracy to create confusion in Alaska’s U.S. Senate race details outrageous and possibly criminal behavior on the part of Democrat operatives. The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations has sent a number of records preservation letters to help ensure evidence of wrongdoing is not destroyed.”
Published just days prior, The New York Times exposé outlined how campaign aides for Democrat Mary Peltola, who is challenging Senator Sullivan, along with other Democrat-aligned figures, purportedly sought out and recruited Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. – infamously dubbed “Decoy Dan” – to run for the Senate. While Peltola and her campaign have predictably denied any involvement in this reported scam, the Times investigation, based on extensive interviews, text messages, and documents from a potential lawsuit, revealed a far broader and deeper effort than initially understood. The report suggests “not only did Ms. Peltola’s team work with people trying to recruit Mr. Sullivan to run for Senate, but the effort was much broader.”
“The group worked to coax other would-be spoilers into the race, to dilute the incumbent’s support and help catapult the Democrat to victory,” the Times stated, laying bare the cynical mechanics of the plot.
The fingerprints of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) and the firm of notorious Russia collusion hoaxer Marc Elias, the Elias Law Group, were also identified in connection with the scandal, according to the Times. Apparently, those who pushed the Russia hoax are now knee-deep in ballot hoaxes.
The Alaska Division of Elections had initially sounded the alarm back in June, revealing that “Decoy Dan” had requested ballot access under the name “Dan Sullivan” despite being registered as “Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.” The state agency pointed to a litany of deceptive tactics: his attempt to be listed on the ballot as “Dan S. Sullivan” despite his middle name being “J,” his sudden registration as a Republican just two days before filing to run despite no prior affiliation, and the creation of a campaign website eerily similar in format, color scheme, and overall theme to Senator Sullivan’s official site. That part should not be complicated.
In a baffling turn, the Alaska Division of Elections’ decision to declare “Decoy Dan’s” candidacy invalid for the 2026 primary was later overturned by the Alaska Supreme Court, allowing the questionable candidate to advance to the general election. This decision raises serious questions about the judicial commitment to fair elections.
Senator Johnson’s records preservation requests target several key figures reportedly enmeshed in the effort to deceive Alaska voters. These include Elisa Rios, Peltola’s former campaign manager; Anton McParland, Peltola’s former chief of staff; and Jerid Kurtz, described as a “specialist in secret ballot maneuvers.”
Johnson has demanded that Rios, McParland, and Kurtz surrender all communications “to or from” one another since January 1, 2025, concerning any effort to recruit individuals for the U.S. Senate election in Alaska. This also includes communications “to or from” other implicated individuals: Jacquelyn Lopez, an Elias Law Group attorney, and Shelbi Dantic, an employee of the DSCC. The Wisconsin Senator has given them until November 12 to provide all requested information to his subcommittee.
“If true, the alleged efforts described in the October 28, 2026 article, would amount to a disturbing effort to undermine the integrity of the 2026 U.S. Senate election in Alaska,” Johnson wrote, underscoring the gravity of the potential misconduct being reviewed by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.
This brazen attempt at ballot manipulation is made possible, in part, by Alaska’s controversial top-four ranked-choice voting (RCV) system. This convoluted system, where candidates of all parties appear on the same ballot and are ranked by preference, was narrowly adopted by Alaska voters in 2020 with significant backing from allies of establishment GOP Senator Lisa Murkowski. It's the same system that allowed Murkowski to fend off a more conservative challenger in 2022, effectively protecting entrenched power rather than empowering genuine voter choice.
Alaskans will have a chance to repeal this flawed system with Measure 2 appearing on the 2026 ballot. But, of course, the measure’s chief opposition campaign is heavily bankrolled by out-of-state forces tied directly to the Democrats’ dark money network, fighting tooth and nail to preserve a system ripe for manipulation.
Further amplifying the severity of this scandal, The Wall Street Journal also reported that the U.S. Justice Department has “expanded its ongoing criminal investigation” into the Alaska plot, issuing “dozens of new grand jury subpoenas.” A federal official reportedly indicated that prosecutors are “exploring whether to bring charges alleging a conspiracy to violate voters’ rights.” Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy, a Republican, has also ordered his own inquiry into this deeply troubling matter.
This multi-pronged investigation signals that those who seek to undermine American elections, no matter how cunning their schemes, will face relentless scrutiny. The fight for fair elections and transparent processes is paramount, ensuring that the will of the people, not the machinations of political operatives, determines the future of our nation.
