THE ALASKA STORY
Nov. 1, 2026 – Former NBC “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd invoked a Florida Republican election scandal as a counterpoint to Republican outrage over Alaska’s “Decoy Dan” controversy.
But the example he chose carries a detail for anyone dismissing the Alaska allegations as ordinary politics: The Republican operative behind that scheme in Florida was prosecuted, found guilty of three felonies, and spent time in jail.
“[Be] careful assuming only one side does these things. See FL GOP and the state senate in 2020,” Todd wrote on X on Oct. 29.
The Florida case involved former Republican state Sen. Frank Artiles, who recruited and paid a candidate sharing the surname of Democratic incumbent José Javier Rodríguez to enter a competitive state Senate race.
The additional candidate, Alex Rodriguez, collected more than 6,000 votes in the 2020 election. Republican Ileana Garcia defeated the Democratic incumbent by just 32 votes. Garcia denied knowing about or participating in the scheme.
Artiles was the former lawmaker working behind the scenes to help produce the outcome. Prosecutors accused him of paying Rodriguez nearly $48,000 to run as a third-party candidate and draw votes from the similarly named Democrat. In September 2024, a jury found Artiles guilty on three of four counts.
The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office said Artiles had violated Florida’s campaign finance and election laws to gain a political advantage.
That November, a judge sentenced Artiles to 60 days in jail, five years of probation, and 500 hours of community service. The sentence also restricted his political activity; he can never run for office again.
The comparison is relevant as Alaska authorities investigate allegations that Democratic operatives recruited another Dan Sullivan to compete as a Republican against Republican US Sen. Dan S. Sullivan.
According to reporting by The New York Times, members of Mary Peltola’s political circle participated in efforts to recruit spoiler candidates. Former campaign manager Elisa Rios alleged that Peltola knew about the effort. Decoy Dan maintains that his candidacy is legitimate.
Federal authorities confirmed Friday that a criminal investigation is now underway.
Meanwhile, US District Judge Sharon Gleason on Sunday dismissed the Justice Department’s separate civil lawsuit seeking to segregate ballots and potentially delay certification of Alaska’s Senate election. She found the government had failed to establish that the court could provide its requested remedy while preserving ballot secrecy. The dismissal did not resolve whether a recruitment scheme occurred.
Todd’s Florida example demonstrates that a Republican used the same general tactic as the Peltola campaign did when it sought out a decoy candidate. The difference is that the Republican went to jail. It’s now up to investigators to determine if Peltola and her surrogates also broke laws that would draw jail time.
Under a Democrat governor, such as Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins hopes to be, it would be likely that the state case would be dropped, but Peltola and Co. will still face a federal investigation and possibly a class-action lawsuit by voters.
