Watchdog alleges collusion in Alaska Senate race

The watchdog group Americans for Public Trust has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission alleging illegal collusion in an Alaska Senate race. The complaint centers on Dan J. Sullivan, a Republican retired teacher running against incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan.

According to the filing, Democratic strategist Amber Lee served on the board of the 907 Initiative, a left-leaning government transparency group, while simultaneously working for the Dan J. Sullivan campaign. The 907 Initiative reportedly spent approximately $1.5 million on advertisements attacking the incumbent senator, with $575,000 of that spending occurring during the final 90 days of the primary race.

Watchdog executive director Caitlin Sutherland stated that working for both a candidate's campaign and an outside group spending millions on advertisements benefiting that campaign violates federal election law. The candidate, often referred to as ‘Decoy Dan,’ remains on the ballot following a legal dispute regarding his status as a ‘good faith’ candidate.