Anchorage, Alaska - In the long line of midterm voters casting ballots early Monday in Anchorage, Alaska's largest city, everyone was aware of the whiff of scandal surrounding the election.
Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola, in a tight race against Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan that could determine who controls Congress in Washington, stands accused of recruiting another Dan Sullivan to run in order to create ballot confusion and siphon off votes from the senator.
Very few people braving near-freezing conditions in Anchorage appeared concerned about the revelations first reported by The New York Times, which landed like a thunderclap in political circles thousands of miles away.
But in Alaska, voter Dale Brown summed up the feeling succinctly: "Who cares?"
The 25-year-old carpenter considered the decoy ploy "immoral," but said he knows "it's not illegal technically" and that Republicans have used the same tactics, recruiting ghost candidates in Florida's 2020 Senate race.
"American politics has gone to this absolute dog-and-pony show of lies," independent voter Brown told AFP, adding: "I think that any kind of moral (conscience) is long gone."
The controversy "won't change anything" about his choice, though – Brown cast his ballot for Democrats, saying he's fed up with inflation under President Donald Trump.
Trump has cried foul in Alaska, as the crucial race could cost his party its Senate majority. It is a bitter battle in Anchorage, where rival campaign signs are seen on either side of neighbors' fences.
Trump seeks to challenge Alaska election
Following the Times account that Peltola's campaign helped orchestrate the scheme – although the candidate denied any knowledge of it – the president has sought to preemptively challenge the election results.
A federal judge rejected that bid on Sunday, but the pressure from the Trump administration has continued.
Federal authorities have since launched a criminal investigation, although they have refused to explain its legal basis.
At a shopping center overlooking snow-capped mountains, Rae Hart approached the polling station acknowledging that it could be "confusing potentially" to have a ballot featuring two Dan Sullivans. But few appeared fooled by the deception, the Republican voter said.
"I heard people in line saying, 'Be sure to vote for the right Dan Sullivan,'" said Hart, a 37-year-old criminal investigator.
Many voters interviewed by AFP in Alaska said they have been inundated for weeks with flyers, ads, and other mail regarding the controversial election.
On the ballot, the Sullivans are clearly distinguishable.
The senator's name is accompanied by the labels "registered Republican" and "incumbent," while Daniel J. Sullivan, Jr. – the "fake" Sullivan, as Trump calls him – shows no political affiliation.
Poll workers prepared in advance to answer questions clarifying the situation.
But a volunteer at the polling place confided, on condition of anonymity, that "it seems like people are pretty clear."
Alaskans concerned about fuel costs and climate change
Airline pilot Luke Clement agreed, saying: "It's pretty clear on the ballot who is who."
The 47-year-old, however, did regret that this year's campaign has slid into ugly "mudslinging" instead of focusing on the issues.
Clement was particularly concerned about persistent inflation, fueled by Trump's war on Iran.
Alaskans feel it more acutely than other Americans, he said, because the state's distance means "everything is shipped in, and everything is dependent on fuel costs."
Others in line could be heard discussing the decline of salmon populations driven by overfishing and climate change, and the extent to which the state's vast oil riches should be exploited.
Ultimately, the scandal surrounding Peltola is being used as "distractive tactics" to divert voters away from what's at stake, said surgical technologist Zara Oakley (41).
Alaska is seen as a conservative stronghold, but dissatisfaction with Trump is so widespread here that the Senate Democratic challenger is neck-and-neck with the incumbent senator in the polls.
Oakley said she is not surprised Trump is seeking to cast doubt on election results, as he has done in several other states.
"He seeks to destroy democracy," she said. "I don't think it has anything to do with what is principled or what's right or what's just."