By SUZANNE DOWNING
June 2, 2026 – The fight over Alaska’s newest Senate candidate intensified Monday as the National Republican Senatorial Committee formally asked Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom and Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher to reject the candidacy of Petersburg resident Dan Sullivan, arguing that his candidacy is designed to confuse voters and undermine confidence in Alaska elections.
The Petersburg Sullivan, “Decoy Dan,” and the “Petersburg Poser,” filed as a Republican.
The seven-page legal letter, sent by NRSC General Counsel Blake Murphy, alleges that Sullivan’s candidacy serves as a deliberate attempt to mislead voters by creating confusion with incumbent US Sen. Dan Sullivan, who is seeking reelection in 2026.
The letter goes beyond merely pointing out the problem of a candidate with the same name for the same office. It argues that the Petersburg candidate should not be certified because he recently changed his voter registration to Republican despite a long history of supporting Democratic candidates and causes. The NRSC contends that the candidate’s declaration of candidacy is defective because he is not, in fact, a Republican and has never been affiliated with the Alaska Republican Party. He is, in fact, affiliated with Mary Peltola, who is running against Sen. Sullivan.
The NRSC points to campaign materials used by the Petersburg candidate, including a campaign logo and website that closely resemble those used by the incumbent senator. The letter alleges that the similarities are intended to mislead voters into believing the challenger is associated with the sitting senator’s campaign. Attachments included with the filing show side-by-side comparisons of campaign logos and websites.
Perhaps most explosively, the Republican organization alleges that the candidate’s campaign is connected to Democratic political operatives. The letter cites public reports that Amber Lee, a former consultant to Mary Peltola and current Anchorage political strategist for Democrats, helped publicize the candidacy when it was announced. The NRSC argues that the candidacy intentionally benefits Peltola’s Senate campaign by siphoning votes from the incumbent senator and creating voter confusion.
The filing includes campaign finance records showing contributions by the “Petersburg Poser” Sullivan to Democratic candidates and organizations over several election cycles, including donations to Mary Peltola and Alaska Democratic Party efforts.
In a separate attachment, Alaska Republican Party Chair Carmela Warfield urged elections officials to thoroughly review the filing, saying the candidacy raises “serious concerns about voter confusion and the integrity of Alaska’s election process.” Warfield wrote that Alaska voters deserve an election system that rewards honesty and transparency rather than political gamesmanship.
The NRSC letter asks the lieutenant governor and Division of Elections to refuse certification of the candidacy, arguing that Alaska law requires election officials to protect voters from misleading ballot practices and preserve confidence in the election process. The committee also sent preservation notices to the candidate, Amber Lee, and others directing them to retain records related to the campaign.
The controversy has already become a national story. Republicans have increasingly referred to the Petersburg candidate as “Decoy Dan” as his candidacy is a calculated effort to exploit Alaska’s open primary and ranked-choice voting system.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the Division of Elections had not publicly indicated whether it intends to review or challenge the candidate’s filing.
The Senate race is expected to be one of the nation’s most closely watched contests in 2026, with Democrat Mary Peltola seeking to unseat Sen. Dan Sullivan as national Democrats search for pickup opportunities in their effort to regain control of the US Senate.
14 thoughts on “National Republican Senatorial Committee sends letter to Elections Division about the Petersburg Poser”
A page out of the old Forrest Wolfe playbook, you know, the one where he rented a room in East Anchorage and then used Forrest Dunbar’s campaign logo and slogan as his own, you know, to deceive voters because he thought that they were dumb ? Fortunately they’re not dumb and they sniffed out his desperate attempt to get elected to the House District 22 seat.
You weren’t crowing about that, were you ? Petersburg Dan isn’t breaking any rules, Warfield needs to get over herself.
“Warfield wrote that Alaska voters deserve an election system that rewards honesty and transparency rather than political gamesmanship.“
Any person who believes Warfield’s claim cannot support the disaster that is Trump, specifically his attempt to steal the 2020 national election.
I wish we had a two party system. We have three now: democrats, MAGA and republicans afraid of Trump.
Warfield is right. We deserve a trusted election.
Trusted election indeed. With voter identification.
The Supreme Court recently refused to intervene in an Ohio case where a well known Democrat attempted to change his party affiliation to run as a Republican with the sole purpose of trying to primary out actual Republicans. Samuel Ronan, the Democrat in question, was once a candidate for chair of the Democratic National Committee.
If there is a state law that requires election officials to protect voters from misleading ballot practices and preserve confidence in the election process then there is already precedent for removing him from the ballot for violating the law.
The idiot from Petersburg will be used by the Democrat Party, then later discarded like used toilet paper. Such a fool.
LOL …….he already carries the look of being discarded like used toilet paper. Any grown man who ponies himself up for something like this also has severe mental problems. Does he have a psychiatrist? Was he a sexually abused child? By a Democrat?
I doubt he cares. Likely enjoying his ‘15 minutes of fame’. Bottom line, when one has no moral or ethical absolute, anything goes. End justifies the means – any means.
Paul Gievette, yes they will discard Dirty Dan like a used condom but Dan will be $$$$ compensated for his useful idiocy. Shades of Christine Blasey Ford who made millions after claiming SCOTUS Justice Kavanaugh raped her at a party several decades before he was nominated for SCOTUS.
Div of elections most likely are consulting the State’s Attorneys in what to legally do so they don’t get sued by Decoy Dan Sullivan or anyone else with the same first and last name and political affiliation
I bet the Div of Elections will continue running him, I don’t see (in commons sense) how they can’t.
It’ll be up to the US Sullivan Campaign to create very aggressive and smart advertisements.
And the Div of elections need use Middle initials and (Incumbent) in brackets for US Senator Dan Sullivan, else it looks in common sense that the US Sullivan campaign could challenge the State of Alaska heading all the way up to the US Supreme Court. If the division of elections did not separate the two so voters Know which Dan Sullivan they are voting for.
And it’ll be up to Alaska voters voting for US Dan Sullivan to be smarter
If US Senator Murkowski campaign used aggressive campaigning to get Alaskans to not only Write her name in but also spell it correctly, then US Senator Sullivan’s Campaign is capable running the same aggressive ad campaigns to maintain a voter base.
These wide open holes in Alaska’s Div if Election is Why Alaska needs “Mr, Elections-candidate for Lt Governor Mike Shower” as our next Lt Governor!!!
He’d be the right man in the right position.
Regardless of what they do, they will get sued by democrats, likely led by the same crowd that is defending RCV. Courts will support the democrats because, just because. Cheers –
Let’s hope sleepy voters wake up and give decoy Dan a piece of their mind after having their intelligence insulted.
I’m sure Scott Kendall is hoping the National Republican Senatorial Committee is successful…what a fun election season this could be!
What is the National Republican Senatorial Committee anyway?
Scott Kendall is the one who found and drafted the fool Dan Sullivan from Petersburg.