By SUZANNE DOWNING
June 22, 2026 – The Alaska House Judiciary Committee’s attempt to force testimony and documents from the Division of Elections over the “Decoy Dan” controversy has hit a roadblock, after Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom formally declined to comply with a subpoena issued late Friday afternoon and served in person on Sunday.
Within hours of receiving Dahlstrom’s response, House State Affairs Chair Rep. Ashley Carrick withdrew the subpoena and agreed to reschedule the hearing for late July, after the legal appeal period expires for Senate candidate Daniel James Sullivan Jr., the Petersburg resident known as “Decoy Dan.”
The dispute stems from the Division of Elections’ decision to remove Sullivan from the ballot after determining he did not meet candidate eligibility requirements. Sullivan has 30 days to challenge that decision in court and has not yet filed an appeal, although recent social media posts suggest litigation is likely.
In a letter, Dahlstrom’s office objected to both the timing and scope of the subpoena.
The lieutenant governor noted that the subpoena was emailed on Friday afternoon during the Juneteenth holiday weekend and demanded appearance before the committee on Monday morning, leaving little practical time to prepare testimony or assemble records.
The subpoena also sought nine broad categories of documents spanning years of election-related communications and records.
Dahlstrom argued that the matter remains subject to potential litigation and that public discussion of the issues could interfere with pending legal proceedings.
The letter stated that the Division of Elections would be willing to appear before lawmakers once the appeal window closes and suggested a deadline of July 20 for document production, with testimony afterward.
The administration also warned that if lawmakers insisted on enforcing the accelerated schedule, the administration would consider seeking court intervention to quash the subpoena.
The letter questioned the urgency behind the committee’s actions, noting that lawmakers waited seven business days after the Division’s final determination before issuing the subpoena, then attempted service by email late on a holiday weekend.
The administration further pointed out that the committee is demanding information regarding a matter currently within an administrative appeal process and potentially headed toward court review.
Carrick responded almost immediately.
In a formal letter, she thanked the lieutenant governor for expressing a willingness to cooperate at a future date and agreed to withdraw the subpoena.
Under the new arrangement proposed by Carrick, the Division of Elections would provide the requested documents by 5 pm on July 20, and a rescheduled hearing would be held on July 22 at 1 pm.
Those dates fall after Sullivan’s appeal deadline, assuming he does not file suit. If litigation is initiated, however, the legal considerations cited by Dahlstrom could continue beyond that date.
The hearing originally scheduled for Monday will still take place, but without testimony from Elections Director Carol Beecher or representatives of the Division of Elections.
The controversy traces back to the candidacy of Daniel James Sullivan Jr., a Democrat donor who switched his voter registration to Republican before filing for the US Senate race under the same name as incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan.
The Division of Elections ultimately determined that a preponderance of the evidence did not support Sullivan’s eligibility to appear on the ballot.
The decision followed an investigation initiated by Dahlstrom’s office after questions arose about whether the filing was a deliberate effort to confuse voters in Alaska’s ranked-choice election system.
Republicans have repeatedly referred to the candidate as “Decoy Dan,” arguing the filing was intended to siphon votes from the incumbent senator. Democrats have accused the Division of Elections of improperly removing a candidate from the ballot.
The House Judiciary Committee’s effort to compel testimony and documents has now been delayed, at least temporarily, while the legal clock continues to run on Sullivan’s opportunity to challenge the state’s determination in court.
For now, the subpoena has been withdrawn, the hearing has been postponed, and the possibility of litigation remains very much alive.
7 thoughts on “Dahlstrom pushes back on House subpoena, Democrats retreat and reschedule hearing in ‘Decoy Dan’ dispute”
With his newly found name recognition, Decoy Dan should plan to take another run at a Senate seat in two years. LOTSA people think he is a better candidate than Princess. If we fail to repeal RCV, I guarantee I would rank him ahead of the 👸🏻.
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Still, I’d rather we repeal RCV. Then we can start forward on the matter of closing primary races and allowing only partisans to pick their person. Independents, such as myself, will put our voices forward with 💵💵 during the primary and our vote during the general. And if our candidate fails in the primary, we have different choice to make.
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For others, they get to see what the party has to offer. If the party would unite on matters that receive support of the electorate, then they will be successful. If not, to the dustbin of history with them.
No way Decoy boy goes to court. Required discovery would bring to light the connection to Mary and her funding sources. Just too risky for Mary.
Yup. Decoy Dan will avoid questions under oath like a prison cell.
What’s your evidence?
Too late. The time proper service is effected, and the House subcommittee meets, the ballot deadline will have come and gone. Credit Dahlstrom on this one. The Lt. Governor has performed her duties.
I wonder why the Alaska House Judiciary Committee hasn’t issued a subpoena to Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.? Surely he would like a committee with no authority over the Division of Elections to ask him questions about his filing and why he allowed himself to be removed from the ballot.
I can see this going All the way up in to the US Supreme Court because of Alaska community leaders and court leaders been cutting corners and doing the wrong actions for So long that they don’t even know what is correct
This is the kind of case that’ll make national attention just like the Bonghits4JesusUS Supreme Court case