Federal prosecutor investigates "bait" candidate scheme in Alaska congressional race
According to the editor of Alaska Landmine, the case involves a namesake of Republican Dan Sullivan and could benefit Democrat Mary Peltola; the criminal investigation is ongoing.
BY THE X-TRADER NEWS NEWSROOM · REPORTING FROM FOX BUSINESS · 3 MIN
Alaska's top federal prosecutor said there is an ongoing criminal investigation into what the New York Times called a "covert effort" to manipulate the state's candidate list. The case revolves around the nickname "Decoy Dan" ("Bait Dan"), a candidate of the same name for Republican Dan Sullivan in the race for a seat in Congress.
The topic was discussed on Fox Business' "Fox & Friends Weekend" with Jeff Landfield, editor-in-chief of Alaska Landmine. According to him, the case "smelled bad from the beginning."
According to Landfield, the decoy candidate hired a well-known Democratic strategist to set up his website. He reportedly tried to use the name "Daniels. Sullivan", when the correct registration is Daniel J. Sullivan. The editor stated that the hoax had been tolerated since June and that the main story only became public a week before the election.
Almost invisible campaign
Landfield described an atypical candidacy. The man reportedly raised about $30,000, less than most candidates for state assembly seats. I also wouldn't have held events and avoided journalists.
The presenter asked if anyone knows where he is. The guest replied that, according to reports, he appears to have left the city of Petersburg. The broadcaster said it had no record of the candidate commenting on whether he was part of a larger effort to recruit him.
The guest also stated that, when researching the names of protesters mentioned in a report, he discovered that two of these people had donated money to Mary Peltola. For him, this reinforces the suspicion that the episode benefits the Democrat.
Asked if Peltola is the target of any investigation, Landfield was cautious: the federal prosecutor did not say that. He considered, however, that the New York Times article was clear and forceful, with several sources, including her former campaign manager.
Deadline and electoral system
Asked whether the investigation could help the Republican candidate in time, Landfield said the answer was uncertain. In Alaska, the top four primary vote-getters advance to the general election. If no one obtains 50% plus one of the votes in the first round, the state only returns the result on November 18, which creates a gap of weeks.
He considered it unlikely that anyone would reach a majority in the first round and recalled that, in 2022, Lisa Murkowski did not reach 50% and the state had to wait two weeks for the result. The presenters noted that the ballots are already printed, so there may be no way to correct the situation.
In Landfield's estimation, the bigger story is that virtually all of Alaska's media ignored the case. The presenters agreed that the local press should have looked into the topic sooner.
What to watch out for
For the investor, the episode is, first and foremost, a factor of political uncertainty: the transcript does not provide any data on the effects on the stock market, interest rates or the dollar. The relevance lies in the outcome of a dispute for Congress, whose composition influences the fiscal and tax agenda in Washington. The presenters indicated that they will continue to follow the case as the investigation progresses.
Automatically translated from Portuguese.
