By SUZANNE DOWNING
Aug. 15, 2026 — President Donald Trump and US Sen. Dan S. Sullivan spoke Friday about the “Decoy Dan” controversy that has roiled Alaska’s US Senate race and infuriated voters, according to sources familiar with the conversation.
Later Friday, Trump issued a forceful endorsement of Sullivan on Truth Social and directly warned Alaska voters about what he described as an attempt by Democrats to confuse them by recruiting another candidate with nearly the same name. Trump did not hold back:
“Because of the trickery in the Voting, the Crooked, Radical Left Democrats have put up another man named ‘Dan Sullivan,’ and they did this to take Votes away from our Great Senator of the same name,” Trump wrote. “Democrats are trying to ‘trick’ Alaskans, and treat Alaskan Voters with contempt.”
Trump then told voters exactly which Sullivan to select in Tuesday’s primary:
“The Senator you want to vote for is: ‘SULLIVAN, DAN S. — REGISTERED REPUBLICAN/INCUMBENT.’”
“‘SULLIVAN, DAN S.’ has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election — HE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!” Trump wrote.
The president’s intervention places the Decoy Dan controversy squarely on the national political stage just four days before Alaska’s Aug. 18 primary election.
Trump praised Sullivan’s record as Alaska’s former attorney general and Department of Natural Resources commissioner, as well as his work in the US Senate. He highlighted Sullivan’s support for border security, the military and veterans, energy development, lower taxes, regulatory reform and the Second Amendment.
“Senator Dan Sullivan is doing a fantastic job representing the Great State of Alaska!” Trump wrote.
The president also pointed to his administration’s recent work to secure 11 new Arctic Security Cutter icebreakers, noting that Sullivan “has been with us all the way.”
The post came the same day that the Chicago Tribune published a glowing profile of Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., the Petersburg resident who is challenging the senator after changing his voter registration to Republican shortly before filing for office.
In that interview, Decoy Dan offered two revealing admissions.
He said he chose to run as a Republican because he “wanted to take it to the senator.” He also acknowledged that even if he finishes among the top four candidates in Tuesday’s primary, he has not decided whether he would continue campaigning in the general election.
“If he ends up in the top four next week, he said he’ll then decide whether he keeps going,” the Tribune reported.
That admission raises a fundamental question about whether Decoy Dan is seriously seeking election to the U.S. Senate or merely attempting to damage the incumbent long enough to influence the outcome. The Alaska Story reported on those statements earlier Friday.
Decoy Dan was previously registered with the now-dissolved Alaskan Independence Party. He initially said his decision to register as a Republican was influenced by his father and grandfather, whom he described as Republicans who taught him “compassionate conservatism.” Voter records subsequently raised questions about that explanation.
The Alaska Division of Elections initially disqualified Decoy Dan J. Sullivan Jr. after Director Carol Beecher concluded that the totality of the circumstances showed his candidacy was intended to confuse or mislead voters.
Among the evidence cited was his attempt to appear on the ballot as “Dan Sullivan” with the middle initial “S,” the same initial used by the incumbent. His actual name is Daniel James Sullivan Jr.
The division also pointed to his registering as a Republican candidate when he was an “undeclared” voter, similarities between his campaign materials and the senator’s political branding, and the involvement of Democratic political professionals in launching his campaign.
An Anchorage Superior Court judge reversed the division’s decision, concluding that Alaska election law did not expressly authorize officials to disqualify a candidate for failing to file in “good faith.”
The Alaska Supreme Court allowed that ruling to stand, placing Decoy Dan back on the ballot.
Federal authorities have also reportedly examined whether the candidacy was part of a broader effort to interfere with Alaska’s election. NBC News and ABC News reported in July that the FBI and U.S. Department of Justice were investigating possible wire fraud and civil-rights conspiracy violations.
No charges have been announced.
Decoy Dan has denied that he is coordinating with Democrat Mary Peltola’s campaign or participating in an organized effort to mislead voters. Peltola’s campaign has also denied involvement.
But his statement to the Chicago Tribune that he registered Republican specifically to “take it to” Sen. Sullivan, combined with his admission that he may abandon the race even if voters advance him to the general election, appears to reinforce the concerns raised by the Division of Elections.
Breaking: ‘Decoy Dan’ admits he may quit if he reaches final four, and says he registered Republican to ‘take it to’ Sen. Sullivan
Under Alaska’s jungle top-four primary system, the four candidates receiving the most votes advance to the ranked-choice general election regardless of party. Even a relatively small number of mistaken or intentionally diverted votes could affect which candidates survive the primary and how the November race unfolds.
Trump’s message Friday left no ambiguity about which candidate he supports — or what he believes is behind the second Sullivan candidacy.
Unlike Mary Peltola running from an endorsement by Kamala Harris, Sen. Dan Sullivan embraced the Trump endorsement.
“Thank you, President @realDonaldTrump, for your support. Alaska is the firewall for freedom in America, and this election is too important for Alaskans to allow the political games being played by Mary Peltola and Lower 48 liberals to work. Make sure to get to the polls on August 18″ Sullivan wrote on X.
On Tuesday, Alaska voters will see both names. Trump is telling them to look for the middle initial, the incumbent designation and the registered Republican label: Dan S. Sullivan.
With endorsements like this, who needs enemies? Kamala burdens Mary Peltola with what has been
