Former Rep. Mary Peltola said in August 2026 that “it should be a criminal offense to lie or mislead the electorate.” (@NRSC / X screenshot)
The legal battle over Alaska’s controversial U.S. Senate election intensified Thursday after Democrat Mary Peltola’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) filed a new motion asking a federal judge to throw out the Trump Justice Department’s lawsuit.
In a Motion to Dismiss the Amended Complaint filed October 29 in United States v. State of Alaska, attorneys for Alaskans for Mary and the DSCC, including lawyers from the Elias Law Group, insist that the NYT’s detailed account of a “ballot composition project” to recruit a namesake spoiler carries “no legal significance.”
They label the entire set of allegations a “distraction” from what they call the DOJ’s “meritless claims.” When the DOJ pointed to the campaign’s earlier court statements as misleading, the motion dismissed the charge with one word: “Nonsense.”
The Gateway Pundit has extensively documented the scheme for months. In June, TGP reported how Democrat operatives worked to place a same-name challenger on the ballot as a Republican primary spoiler specifically to confuse voters and siphon support from incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, the President’s endorsee.
After the Alaska Division of Elections initially barred him as a non-good-faith candidate, state courts ordered his inclusion; he advanced with roughly 2.5% of the primary vote.
The New York Times report, based on interviews with about a dozen people involved or informed of the effort, text messages, and documents, described an internal “ballot composition project” in which Peltola campaign staff were directed in summer 2025 to search voter records for Alaskans named Dan Sullivan. A Midwestern operative reportedly traveled the state under a fake name, pitching candidates over beers, including to retired Petersburg teacher Daniel J. Sullivan.
The goal, according to the reporting: dilute the incumbent’s support on Alaska’s ranked-choice, top-four ballot so Peltola could win. Former Peltola aide Elisa Rios was among the sources; the campaign and DSCC have denied recruiting candidates.
In the court filing, the intervenors concede the amended complaint adds “additional allegations, based on recent press reports, about how Daniel J. Sullivan came to run for office and why,” but claim they “change nothing.”
They argue the NVRA (which the DOJ cites) regulates only voter registration, not ballot design or candidate qualifications; that statements of purpose create no enforceable duties; and that the DOJ lacks constitutional authority to interfere in state elections absent a clear statute.
They further contend there is no plausible evidence of voter confusion given the ballot’s distinctions, different middle initials, “Incumbent” next to Sen. Dan S. Sullivan (Registered Republican), and no party designation for the other Sullivan, and that any post-election investigation into voter motives would be impossible because of secret ballots and unlawful under the Constitution.
The motion urges dismissal with prejudice before Election Day and notes agreement with the League of Women Voters that sanctions should be considered.
The campaign’s tone is dismissive even as the legal and investigative pressure mounts. President Trump has publicly called for Peltola and those involved to be prosecuted, stating they “got caught” and that false statements under oath could constitute perjury.
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy ordered a state Department of Public Safety investigation after the NYT report, citing an organized effort to confuse voters. The decoy candidate reportedly refused to answer questions under oath and has conducted no campaign events. The DOJ has issued a flurry of subpoenas.
The post Peltola Campaign and DSCC Call NYT ‘Decoy Dan’ Bombshell a Mere ‘Distraction’ and Brand DOJ’s Court Accusations ‘Nonsense’ in Desperate Motion to Dismiss appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
