Alaska Senate race tight as spoiler candidate siphons votes from Republican incumbent

Alaska's Senate race shows Democrat Mary Peltola leading Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan by fewer than 700 votes, with a spoiler candidate sharing Sullivan's name potentially affecting the outcome, Fox News reported November 5. Daniel J. Sullivan, called "Dan the decoy," has received 3,600 votes, over five times the margin between the top candidates. One voter admitted accidentally voting for the wrong Dan Sullivan. Alaska's ranked-choice system could redistribute his votes if no candidate reaches 50%. President Trump demanded the decoy's votes be reassigned to the real Sullivan. Democrats allegedly helped recruit the retired teacher, though they deny coordination. The administration has launched investigations into the alleged spoiler scheme.