Federal investigators are now questioning Alaska Republicans about a shadowy recruiter who allegedly posed as a conservative operative while trying to steer candidates into the state's 2026 U.S. Senate race — part of a widening inquiry into the so-called "Decoy Dan Sullivan" ballot scheme.
Former Alaska Republican lawmaker David Eastman told Fox News Digital that the FBI interviewed him after an apparent Democratic political operative allegedly posed as a conservative recruiter and tried to persuade him to enter the Senate race. Eastman's account, first reported by Fox News, marks the first known instance of federal agents questioning a Republican about the recruitment effort.
The probe centers on allegations that former campaign staff for Democratic Senate nominee Mary Peltola discussed a plan to stack Alaska's ballot with multiple candidates named Dan Sullivan in order to siphon votes from incumbent GOP Sen. Dan S. Sullivan. Former Peltola campaign staffers spoke to the New York Times about their knowledge of the reported scheme.
Alaska's four-person ballot ultimately included Peltola, incumbent Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, Republican Gerald Heikes, and retired Petersburg teacher Dan J. Sullivan. Whether the similarly named candidate diverted votes or affected the outcome remains unproven.
Congress is also ramping up its scrutiny. The House is conducting an investigation into the recruitment effort, and Article III Project attorney Will Chamberlain said the alleged scheme could violate 18 U.S.C. § 241, the federal conspiracy-against-rights statute.
Article III Project attorney Will Chamberlain told Fox News Digital that a coordinated effort to deceive voters about a candidate's identity could violate 18 U.S.C. § 241, the federal conspiracy-against-rights statute.
"The basic concept is you're not allowed to conspire to injure or harm people's constitutional rights. And one of those rights is to vote for the candidate of your choice," Chamberlain said. "These people conspired to put a fake 'Decoy Dan' Sullivan on the ballot in order to trick people who were going into the ballot box intending to vote for the incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan."
Chamberlain added: "There's a lot of good precedent on this that suggests that's a crime and a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison."
He cited historical cases involving ballot manipulation while acknowledging that the precise circumstances of the Alaska case are still being established.
The FBI's interview with Eastman signals that federal investigators are treating the allegations seriously, even as congressional investigators pursue their own examination of who orchestrated the recruitment effort and why.
The mystery recruiter's identity has not been publicly confirmed. It is not known whether the individual has been contacted by investigators or whether any charges are imminent.
Alaska election officials have not commented publicly on the federal inquiry. Peltola's campaign has not issued a statement addressing the FBI's interview with Eastman or the congressional probe.
The allegations have drawn attention from national conservative figures who argue the episode fits a pattern of Democratic operatives exploiting election rules to confuse voters and manipulate outcomes.
Our Take
Here's what the mainstream media won't tell you plainly: if the allegations hold up, this wasn't a clever campaign tactic — it was a deliberate attempt to defraud Alaska voters.
Someone allegedly posed as a conservative recruiter. They allegedly tried to get Republicans to join a Senate race under false pretenses. And the goal, according to the allegation, was to plant a decoy candidate with the same name as a sitting U.S. senator to confuse people at the ballot box.
That's not politics. That's election interference. And it's exactly the kind of scheme the Left loves to project onto conservatives while their own operatives are allegedly running it.
The FBI interviewing David Eastman is a good sign. Congress opening an investigation is a good sign. But patriots should be watching closely to see whether the Justice Department actually pursues charges — or whether this gets buried like so many other investigations into Democrat misconduct.
Will Chamberlain says this could be a felony carrying up to 10 years in prison. If that's true, then every person involved in this alleged scheme — from the recruiter to the campaign staffers who reportedly knew about it — needs to be held accountable.
Alaska voters deserve answers. The American people deserve answers. And the people who allegedly tried to steal a Senate seat through deception deserve to face the full weight of federal law.
Stay tuned. This story is just getting started.
