An Alaska voter fears he may have been caught up in the controversy surrounding “Decoy Dan” Sullivan in the state’s razor-close Senate election.
The contest has drawn unusual attention after reports emerged that Daniel J. Sullivan, a Republican whose name closely resembles that of incumbent Senator Daniel S. Sullivan, may have joined the race as a spoiler intended to divide support among GOP voters.
The confusing ballot left at least one voter visibly frustrated during an interview with News Nation after he cast his ballot.
“I just might be having a brain freeze, but I don’t remember the second Dan Sullivan,” Greg Martone said.
Martone said he worried that he could have selected the so-called “Decoy” Dan rather than the Republican incumbent.
“There is a slight possibility I voted for the wrong Dan Sullivan. I mean, there is a slight possibility — I’m hoping I’m just kind of getting paranoid,” he said with a nervous laugh.
“Now I want to look at a sample ballot to see what position he’s in, because I’m hoping I — well, yeah.”
Another voter interviewed while casting his ballot defended the presence of the similarly named candidate.
An Alaska voter said he feared he may have been misled by the “Decoy Dan” controversy in the state’s tight Senate race. Pictured: Alaska Senator Dan S. Sullivan
The Alaska Senate race has attracted national attention after reports that Daniel J. Sullivan (pictured), a Republican with a name nearly identical to incumbent Daniel S. Sullivan, may have entered as a spoiler candidate to divide Republican support
“This is something that both parties do, so in my opinion it’s much ado about nothing,” he said.
A federal judge on Sunday rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to block the certification of Alaska’s Senate election results before the vote took place.
The decision represented a major setback for the administration just two days before the November 3 midterm election.
The Justice Department had alleged that Daniel J. Sullivan, whom officials have labeled “Decoy Dan,” entered the contest as a “frivolous candidate to confuse voters.”
“Alaskan voters deserve a fair election, not to be misled in an attempt to rig outcomes,” the DOJ said in its filing.
But US District Judge Sharon Gleason found that the Trump administration lacked standing to bring the case. The lawsuit sought to require Alaska to separate certain ballots if Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan lost his reelection campaign to Democratic candidate Mary Peltola.
The DOJ has appealed the ruling, though it remains uncertain whether the appeal can produce any significant action before Election Day on Tuesday, November 3.
In its lawsuit, the Justice Department argued that the second Sullivan’s campaign was designed to “dupe Alaska’s voters into believing that he is Senator Sullivan.” It asked the court to segregate ballots if Peltola prevailed. But Gleason said Sunday that doing so would not be possible without infringing on voters’ privacy and the secrecy of their ballots.
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“I just might be having a brain freeze, but I don’t remember the second Dan Sullivan,” Greg Martone (pictured) said
A sample ballot in Anchorage, Alaska, lists both candidates named Daniel Sullivan
Former Representative Mary Peltola, a Democrat from Alaska and candidate for the US Senate
The judge said the DOJ had presented “no workable plan” for separating the ballots without violating voters’ fundamental right to privacy.
“The absence of any explanation from the United States as to how its requested relief could redress its alleged injury while simultaneously maintaining the secrecy of the ballot is telling,” Gleason wrote.
“Simply, the Court cannot grant the United States the relief it seeks.”
The ruling came as Sullivan and Peltola remained locked in a highly competitive contest that the Cook Political Report rated a “toss-up.”
The outcome could also affect control of the Senate if Peltola managed to defeat Sullivan and help Democrats gain an advantage in the chamber.
Gleason also refused to allow the Trump administration to further revise its complaint, saying such a move would be futile and place an unnecessary burden on Alaska election officials with only two days remaining before the November 3 vote.
She warned that increased scrutiny of the ballots could also discourage people from taking part in the election.
The dismissal marked the latest high-profile legal defeat for the Trump administration as it pursued greater federal involvement in the administration of the midterm elections.
Those efforts have prompted a wave of lawsuits from state and local election officials, who argue that the federal government is unlawfully encroaching on states’ authority to conduct elections under the Voting Rights Act and the US Constitution.
The court case was not the only step the Trump administration has taken in Alaska over the “Decoy Dan” controversy.
The Justice Department separately opened a criminal investigation last month into the campaign of the second Dan Sullivan.
Details of the investigation have not been made public, but it is believed to involve allegations of conspiracy under a law dating to the Voting Rights Act era.
Peltola’s campaign and the national Democratic Party have denied any involvement in Daniel J. Sullivan’s candidacy.
The White House referred requests for comment to the Justice Department.
