National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Tim Scott announced Saturday that federal investigators are examining whether political operatives deliberately recruited a second candidate named Dan Sullivan in Alaska with the intent to mislead voters in the state’s U.S. Senate race.
During an appearance on Fox News’ “Saturday in America,” Scott, a Republican senator from South Carolina, addressed an active Department of Justice investigation into the campaign of Dan J. Sullivan, who is currently challenging incumbent Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan.
“The truth is that the fake Dan, the decoy Dan, his one objective is to confuse voters,” Scott stated. “Number two, if there’s a second point, is the collusion that occurred to recruit this candidate. That is a criminal offense.”
Federal prosecutors formally requested late Friday that state election authorities preserve and isolate all ballots cast for Dan J. Sullivan while the investigation remains ongoing. Authorities have since issued more than 30 subpoenas connected to the matter.
The dispute centers on allegations that third parties coordinated the recruitment of Dan J. Sullivan, a Petersburg, Alaska resident, to siphon support from the incumbent senator in a race that also features Democratic nominee Mary Peltola. The Alaska Supreme Court previously upheld a lower court ruling permitting both candidates sharing the Dan Sullivan name to remain on the ballot.
Reporting from The New York Times, cited during the broadcast, described internal discussions among political organizers who sought an alternative candidate specifically to dilute the incumbent’s vote share. Dan J. Sullivan and representatives for the Peltola campaign have denied any improper coordination or unlawful conduct. In prior court filings, Dan J. Sullivan maintained that his candidacy was genuine and asserted he had no contact with Peltola’s campaign staff.
Scott observed that the challenger’s campaign branding closely mirrored that of the incumbent senator, pointing specifically to campaign logos, fonts, and color schemes.
“Every single piece of his campaign information copied the real Dan Sullivan’s logo, the colors, and even the font,” Scott said. “All that with 30 subpoenas means he could be in serious federal trouble.”
Scott further cautioned that individuals questioned by federal investigators could face severe legal consequences for dishonest statements, emphasizing that “lying to the prosecutors, that’s a felony.”
Turning his attention to other significant races across the country, Scott dismissed polling data suggesting that incumbent Republican Senator Lindsey Graham faced a competitive contest in South Carolina.
“We win in South Carolina without any question. Don’t believe the polls,” Scott said, adding that the party remains firmly committed to defending its Senate majority across key battleground states nationwide.
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