by WorldTribune Staff, November 13, 2026 — Real World News
Democrat Mary Peltola has extended her lead over Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan in Alaska.
With 88% of the vote counted, Peltola had 125,157 votes (49.08%) compared to 119,357 (46.80%) for Sullivan.
“Alaskans are fed up with high costs and corruption stemming from DC, and they have made their voices heard: after every vote is counted, it is clear that Mary Peltola will be elected Alaska’s next United States Senator,” Cheryl Bruce, Peltola’s campaign manager, said in a Nov. 10 statement.
The gap between the candidates now exceeds the number of votes for Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., whom Republicans allege entered the race at the behest of Democrats to draw votes away from the sitting senator.
Sullivan Jr. had 4,199 votes in the latest tally.
As part of the alleged scheme, which was uncovered by The New York Times, Peltola’s then campaign manager, Elisa Rios, coordinated with a Democrat operative named Jerid Kurtz, the co-owner of Wingspan Strategies LLC, a political and public relations consulting firm organized in Wyoming in March 2025, as part of a Peltola campaign initiative dubbed internally as the “ballot composition project” to hunt down alternate Dan Sullivans to run in the race. The Times reported that Kurtz successfully recruited the second Sullivan to run against their GOP opponent. Rios and Kurtz were reportedly introduced by DSCC aides.
And, now, Russiagate lawyer Marc Elias has landed at the center of the alleged Democrat plot in the Alaska Senate race, Just the News reported on Nov. 8.
Elias, who departed from the Perkins Coie law firm in 2021 and set up his own firm, “could face questions about the role his law firm played in representing multiple participants in the alleged scheme to recruit the candidate known as ‘Decoy Dan’ in the Alaska race and whether there was any illegal coordination under federal election law,” the report said.
The Justice Department escalated its investigation into the purported “Decoy Dan” scheme on Election Day, reportedly warning roughly 20 Democrats in writing that they may be investigative targets. Elias as well as at least one Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee official were notified. A target letter signals that prosecutors view the recipient as a likely defendant, but it does not guarantee charges will be filed.
Prior to the Nov. 3 midterms, President Donald Trump said Senate Democrat leader Chuck Schumer and Elias should be held “criminally responsible” for “voter fraud at the highest level” for the alleged scheme.
The Elias Law Group represents both Peltola’s campaign and the DSCC. One of its attorneys, Jacquelyn Lopez, allegedly took part in the effort, which at one point explored creating a “MAGA party” to further split the Republican vote in the state, the NY Times reported. Texts reviewed by the paper show a campaign consultant asked former Peltola campaign manager Elisa Rios whether they should “follow up with Jackie about maga party stuff,” and a campaign official noted that “Jackie is calling” the operative who led the recruiting.
According to Federal Elections Commission records reviewed by Just the News, the Elias Law Group was paid roughly $117,000 in 2026 by Alaskans for Mary, Peltola’s principle campaign committee, while Elias was also working for the DSCC.
Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, said in a statement:
“The reported conspiracy to confuse voters in the Alaska Senate election has fractured confidence in our election system. I expect full compliance with my requests for records about this alleged scheme and applaud the FBI and DOJ for their prompt review of this matter. The American people cannot let this story slip through the cracks and we will continue to pursue this investigation vigorously to get to the truth.”
Independent journalist Christine Dolan offered up some background on Elias and Perkins Coie:
“the history of the unit at Perkins Coie: it was created by Bob Baer, husband of dem consultant Anita Dunn – he was a partner there.
Baer has been in dem circles for decades. I think he served in Obama WH Legal office, definitely close to Biden for years – good friends with Ron Klain, was Biden’s personal attorney during Biden adm although I think he worked in Biden WH before he jumped to Biden’s personal attorney.
“He is so close to Biden that when Biden decided to run the first time, he called Ted Kaufman first (former Chief of Staff for Senator Biden for decades and Ted served out Biden’s term when he was VP) and the second person Biden called was Baer. Baer was one of the top architects who put together the transition and helped pick the Biden WH team.
“Elias worked in Baer’s Perkins Coie unit for years. I think it was right before Sussmann trial that Elias left Perkins and brought the unit with him but Elias was the thorn in Bobby (Kennedy) side during 2024 – when Bobby was trying to get on the ballots, Elias was fighting him and when Bobby joined hands with Trump and wanted to get off the ballot, Elias was trying to keep Bobby on the ballot.
“Elias is a pitbull.”
