3,600 Votes: The 'Decoy Dan' Factor in Alaska's Senate Race
A retired teacher’s campaign has collected enough ballots to exceed the lead in Alaska’s Senate race, while Mississippi officials wait for 3,600 mail-in ballots.
By Jonathan Ramirez ·
Retired schoolteacher Daniel J. Sullivan has collected 3,600 votes in Alaska’s U.S. Senate race. This total is more than five times the current margin separating incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan and former Representative Mary Peltola. As of Thursday morning, Peltola leads the senator by fewer than 700 votes, with a quarter of the state’s ballots still uncounted.
The Justice Department opened an investigation into the race in July after Sullivan entered the contest in May. An October report from The New York Times stated that Sullivan met with Democratic operatives and Peltola’s staff to encourage his candidacy. Peltola has denied involvement in the effort. One voter told reporters Tuesday that he intended to vote for Senator Sullivan but did not notice the second candidate with the same name on the ballot.
Alaska uses ranked choice voting. If no candidate receives 50% of the vote, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. First-choice votes for that candidate are then redirected to the voters’ second choice. President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Thursday morning, arguing that the votes for the 'Fake Dan Sullivan' should be given to the senator. He claimed the election would then be over and the senator would easily win.
In Mississippi, Democratic candidate Scott Colom leads incumbent Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith by 1,138 votes. The Associated Press reported that 95.6% of ballots had been counted as of Thursday morning. Secretary of State Michael Watson said officials are waiting to receive a batch of 3,600 mail-in ballots. The state counts these ballots if they are received within five business days of the election and postmarked on or before Election Day. NBC News’ Decision Desk estimated the total remaining ballots at 45,000.
Mississippi lacks a formal recount process, which increases the likelihood of a legal dispute over the results. Colom told reporters on Wednesday that he has an 'army of lawyers' preparing for a court battle. He stated the campaign will protect the integrity of the election. Hyde-Smith’s campaign manager, Scott Monssen, said the team is monitoring the remaining count closely. He expressed confidence that the senator will be reelected once every legally cast vote is counted.
Fox News Digital contacted all five campaigns for further comment. The final outcomes in both states depend on the remaining ballots and potential legal challenges. The Alaska race hinges on how the 3,600 votes for Daniel J. Sullivan are redistributed under the ranked choice rules. The Mississippi race hinges on the arrival and counting of the pending mail-in ballots.
