The reported recruitment by Democrats of a second “Dan Sullivan” to allegedly confuse voters in Alaska’s Senate race drew a rare public rebuke from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who appeared to break four years of silence on her personal X account.
The New York Times reported that members of Mary Peltola’s team helped recruit a candidate who shares the name of incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, potentially confusing voters in a closely watched race that also features Republican Gerald Heikes.
In a statement on her personal account @LisaForSenate, Murkowski said the report “revealed… a pattern of lies and coverups” on the part of Peltola.
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“While some may try to write this off as just how politics works now, ballot-stacking should have no place in our electoral process,” Murkowski said.
“Run and win on your merits: your views, your policy ideas, and your accomplishments. By contrast, recruiting candidates to manipulate the field and influence voting outcomes is simply wrong.”
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“Alaskans deserve the honest truth from Mary and her campaign,” she said, adding that such a “culture of deception” does not belong in elections or with lawmakers.
Her previous post on the account was dated November 2022 and featured a video message wishing Alaskans a happy Thanksgiving.
Murkowski’s official Senate account posts regularly, with its two most recent posts criticizing the Trump Justice Department for launching a lawsuit in the “Decoy Dan” situation prior to the Times’ report and highlighting her visit to the Alaska Federation of Natives Convention.
The Times reported this week that the effort extended beyond recruiting the second Sullivan, with Democratic operatives also seeking other candidates who could siphon votes from the Republican incumbent.
The second “decoy” Sullivan, reportedly a longtime registered nonpartisan, lives in the remote community of Petersburg.
Sullivan told Fox News that the scheme is what arises when a “far left” candidate “has got nothing to run on.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Murkowski for further comment.
While the post marked Murkowski’s first intervention on X in Alaska’s election contests, the Republican recently drew attention by endorsing Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins over three Republicans: Bernadette Wilson, Treg Taylor and Dave Bronson.
Murkowski’s father, former Sen. Frank Murkowski, joined his daughter in that announcement.
The split Republican field positions Kreiss-Tomkins as the mathematical favorite, according to the Alaska Beacon.
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Murkowski was also a champion of the ranked-choice system that produced four-person general election ballots.
Murkowski’s pointed criticism of Peltola puts fresh scrutiny on the reported recruitment effort and what the Democrat’s campaign knew as voters prepare to cast their ballots.