Alaska Senate Race Shrouded in Ballot Stacking Allegations
Alaska Senate race faces scrutiny over alleged ballot-stacking scheme involving fake candidate.
2 min read
Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola has denied any involvement in a ballot-stacking scheme aimed at disenfranchising Republican voters, as federal and state prosecutors investigate the matter. Peltola claimed she knew nothing about the fraudulent campaign to create a decoy candidate named Daniel J. Sullivan, who is now running in the general election after receiving just 2.5% of the vote in the primary.
Decoy Candidate Strategy Unveiled
The scheme, revealed by The New York Times, involved Peltola’s campaign recruiting Daniel J. Sullivan to appear on the ballot as a way to confuse voters into casting their ballots for the wrong candidate. According to text messages and documents reviewed by the outlet, a Peltola staffer was tasked with finding as many Dan Sullivans in Alaska as possible to add a second candidate to the ballot.
The plan also included the appearance of a mysterious Midwestern operative who traveled across Alaska using a fake name and made his pitch to potential candidates at local brew pubs. Daniel J. Sullivan was found in a remote fishing village along the Alaska Panhandle, accessible only by air and sea.
Legal and Political Fallout
The Department of Justice previously sued to block certification of Alaska’s Senate race if the Democrats’ decoy candidate caused incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan to lose. The lawsuit claimed that if all votes cast for Daniel J. Sullivan had been allocated to Senator Sullivan, the outcome would have been different under Alaska’s rank-choice voting system.
Peltola addressed the scandal during rallies in Juneau and Anchorage, where she denied any involvement and called the accusations offensive. She claimed she was not interested in tricking voters and that she only knew about herself and the incumbent on the ballot.
Former President Donald Trump has accused Peltola’s campaign of committing voter fraud at the highest level and called for her removal from the race and criminal charges. Meanwhile, the US Attorney for the District of Alaska has announced a significant increase in law enforcement resources to investigate the case, with over 40 subpoenas issued.
Investigation Intensifies
As the Justice Department pursues the case, Daniel J. Sullivan has reportedly disappeared, raising further questions about his involvement and whereabouts. The investigation continues to unfold as prosecutors seek to determine the extent of the alleged ballot-stacking scheme and its impact on the election.
Source: The Gateway Pundit
