WASHINGTON — Retired teacher Dan J. Sullivan, also known as “Decoy Dan” because he shares the same name as Alaska’s incumbent US senator, is getting some backup from a mysterious super PAC.
Right for Alaska, which appears to be based in Wisconsin, is promoting “Decoy Dan” on its website after spending six figures backing candidates Republicans have accused of being spoilers.
Since late July, the shadowy super PAC has spent over $2.3 million on alternative Republican Senate contenders, including just shy of $1.15 million outright opposing Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, according to disclosures with the Federal Election Commission.
This includes efforts to prop up Gerald Heikes to the tune of over $700,000 and Earl “Skip” Southworth by north of $500,000 as Republican candidates in Alaska’s Senate primary last month.
Neither of them made the cut, which might explain Right for Alaska’s shift to “Decoy Dan,” who was part of the top four that advanced to the general election, which will be decided by ranked-choice voting.
Alaska’s showdown between Sen. Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola is one of the most crucial Senate races in the country, and could determine the balance of power in the upper chamber.
Critics have accused “Decoy Dan” of deliberately using his near-identical name in a bid to confuse voters.
Despite running as a Republican, “Decoy Dan” has enjoyed support from Democrats, something that has drawn FEC complaints and triggered litigation. In addition to his name and party affiliation, critics noted that his early website design had similarities to Sen. Sullivan.
At one point, officials admonished him for messing up his middle initial — the one part of his name that could distinguish him from Sen. Sullivan. “Decoy Dan” insisted that was an honest mistake.
“Decoy Dan” has described himself as a moderate Republican, telling the New York Times that he participated in a “No Kings” protest, voted Democratic in the past three presidential cycles, and backed Peltola in both her congressional bids.
The self-described Republican also has a magnet of the notorious far-left revolutionary Che Guevara on his refrigerator, according to the outlet.
He had been a latecomer to the primary, joining on May 29. Right for Alaska launched on March 23 and is being run by a man named Thomas Datwyler, who is based out of Wisconsin, per FEC filings.
Back in 2024, a right-leaning group, the Conservative Nevada Leadership PAC, urged the Justice Department to investigate Datwyler, whom it described as Long Island’s lying George Santos’ “shadow treasurer,” because he was listed in the former rep’s brief reelection bid.
Datwyler has been tied to numerous operations backing numerous Republicans that critics have argued are more vulnerable candidates and has been accused of “running roughshod over federal campaign finance” with some of his tactics.
Hailing the retired teacher as an “authentic Alaskan,” the Right for Alaska declared on its website that “Daniel J. Sullivan stands up to establishment politicos.”
While records don’t show the enigmatic super PAC spending on “Decoy Dan” just yet, the support of him on its website indicates that shift could be coming. The group touted “Decoy Dan” on its site at least as far back as July, according to the internet archives.
Because the third-quarter FEC deadline isn’t until mid-October, the super PAC won’t have to disclose its most recent donors and other key information until then.
So far, records only list one donor, William Harris, from Lexington, Mass., who has donated to Democrats this cycle, including Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-Va.), Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), Jessica Killin in Colorado, and Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas).
Harris gave $100,000 to Right for Alaska.
It’s unclear how much other cash the group is sitting on and how much it intends to splurge on “Decoy Dan.” The Post contacted Datwyler for comment.
Both Republican and Democratic operatives alike have meddled in the other party’s primaries to boost candidates seen as more vulnerable in a general election or to prop up contenders that could siphon votes away from the other side.
In May, for example, Democrats grumbled over a GOP-linked group that appeared to be supporting crazed sex therapist Maureen Galindo in a House primary who sought to transform an immigration facility into “a prison for American Zionists.”
