National Democrats leave Mary Peltola to fend for herself amid Alaska Senate scandal

National Democrats are largely staying silent as Mary Peltola faces mounting scrutiny over an alleged scheme by campaign and party operatives to confuse Alaskan voters with a second “decoy” Republican candidate named Dan Sullivan, leaving the Democratic Senate hopeful with few public defenders as state officials investigate possible election law violations.And the few exceptions who have spoken out have presented mixed messaging over whether the accusations, detailed in a New York Times investigation, should be written off as false reporting or because it is a morally dubious campaign ploy embraced by both parties.In a social media post praising Peltola, Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) avoided mention altogether of the fallout over the alleged recruitment of a man with the same name as her main opponent, Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK). Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), a member of Senate Democratic leadership, dismissed the in-depth report in a CNN interview by saying he trusts “what she’s saying, that she didn’t have anything to do with it” and that President Donald Trump “is looking for a pretext” to invalidate a Democratic victory. At the state level, former Alaska Democratic Lt. Gov. Fran Ulmer told the Washington Examiner in a statement that she remained “committed to Mary and convinced that she should be elected to the Senate where she will vote on issues that matter, independently, in contrast to Senator Sullivan who votes based on what the White House tells him to do.”Other prominent Alaska Democrats who have endorsed Peltola did not respond to requests for comment about whether they stand by their party’s nominee, including former Gov. Tony Knowles, the Alaska Democratic Party, and Tom Begich, a former state lawmaker who dropped out of Alaska’s gubernatorial race earlier this year.SEIU 775, a labor union representing nursing home workers in Alaska, said in a statement to the Washington Examiner that it “continues to support Mary Peltola as the best candidate for caregivers and all working Alaskans.” Its secretary-treasurer, Adam Glickman, cited Sullivan’s support for Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, his signature tax law that slashed federal Medicaid funding.Republicans have accused Peltola and national Democrats of illegal election manipulation, and a state investigation ordered by Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R-AK) for possible criminal charges is underway. Yet the quiet approach by Democrats could also be helping deprive the story of further oxygen. Democrats are likely seeking to ride out the remaining days of the battleground contest without more damning revelations that could jeopardize Peltola’s chances to flip the seat.Mike Nellis, a Democratic strategist and ex-senior adviser to former Vice President Kamala Harris, downplayed the controversy as a “normal form of goofing around” with spoiler candidates committed by both parties. Nellis argued there were “far more dastardly things going on in this election,” citing Elon Musk’s heavy spending to boost Republicans.“A lot of people are going to talk about it. Nobody cares,” Nellis said of the alleged Peltola scheme, transitioning to sarcasm to explain his theory of voters’ mindsets. “‘I can’t afford to fill up my gas tank. Oh no, there’s two Dan Sullivans on the ballot.’”The Last Frontier is no stranger to both sides of the aisle stacking their ranked choice ballots with general election spoiler candidates who could weaken party front-runners. Republicans have engaged in similar practices to meddle openly on the Democratic side of the ticket.Ulmer criticized the media for having “failed to cover similar tactics by the Republican Party,” such as Eric Hafner, the Democrat in federal prison in New York who is on the ballot for Alaska’s at-large House seat. Democrats are backing independent Bill Hill in the race. “Why the difference?” Ulmer added in her statement.But while the alleged scheme from Peltola allies and national Democratic operatives may only amount to a poor ethical choice rather than criminal actions, Republican critics say it reveals the lengths to which the former congresswoman was willing to deceive the public repeatedly. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) referred to it as “totally dirty pool” in a Fox News interview.In statements to the Washington Examiner, the campaign arm of Senate Democrats and Peltola’s campaign denied involvement with the Senate bid from the second Sullivan, who is a retired schoolteacher.Mary Peltola, a Democrat running for the Senate seat in Alaska, addresses supporters at an election watch party Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen) “The DSCC is not involved with Dan J. Sullivan,” a Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesperson said. “Republicans have a long history of recruiting and propping up candidates in an attempt to boost their own campaigns — including recruiting a prisoner with a New York address to run against Mary Peltola and spending nearly half a million dollars to secure a spot on the ballot in Alaska for an Arizona resident in the Senate race this cycle.”A spokesperson for Peltola’s campaign likewise said it “has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign. Like Mary, our campaign is focused on lowering costs and fixing the rigged system in DC.”Peltola herself did not offer an explicit denial but instead criticized the media coverage as “another distraction.”“This is just another distraction. It’s another diversion,” Peltola told reporters following a rally Wednesday and in the hours after the report’s release. “Every day, it’s some new, ‘Oh, look over here,’ moment. … This is all stuff to sell newspapers. This is all stuff to get subscriptions. Nobody at the New York Times cares about affordability in Alaska.”Republicans recirculated Peltola’s remarks from this summer in which she told supporters that “it should be a criminal offense to lie or mislead the electorate.”WHAT COMES NEXT FOR MARY PELTOLA AS HER CAMPAIGN FACES DECOY INVESTIGATIONThe race is among the contentious toss-up contests that will help determine control of the upper chamber as the incumbent Sullivan vies for a third term. But whether the “Decoy Dan” saga, as described by critics, presents ripple effects at the ballot box is just as much a point of debate.“It gets a lot of attention on Twitter,” Nellis said. “It gets a lot of attention on cable news. It falls in the category of mildly interesting, but I don’t think it moves a single voter.”