Philadelphia Inquirer publishes article, "Both parties tried to game Alaska primary field," mentioning Senate candidate Richard Grayson

Today, Monday, November 2, 2026, the Philadelphia Inquirer published an article by Matthew Choi, "Both parties tried to game Alaska primary field," mentioning Green Party Senate candidate Richard Grayson.

Democrats in Alaska are facing public criticism and investigations for their alleged recruitment of a spoiler candidate to confuse voters in the state's highly competitive Senate race. . . But both parties engaged in horse trading and cross-aisle spending to try to game Alaska’s Senate primary system this year. Republicans invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into supporting nonviable Democratic candidates in the primary.

Two perennial candidates, Democrat Carol Hafner and Green Partier Richard Grayson, got substantial boosts in the weeks leading to the Senate primary from a super PAC that was later revealed to be wholly funded by Republicans. Hafner and Grayson were not viable candidates — neither live in Alaska and neither raised any serious sums of money.

Grayson, who has run as a candidate for numerous parties in various offices in numerous states, said in an interview that his candidacy is no more than an eccentric hobby he’s been doing since the 1970s. He said Anton McParland, Peltola’s longtime top aide, texted him early in the cycle to encourage him to withdraw. McParland did not respond to a request for comment.

“I call it performance art,” Grayson said of his numerous runs, adding that he never wanted to take votes from Peltola, whom he supports. “I do it for fun.”

The super PAC, Fair Deal Alaska, spent more than $1,600,000 combined boosting Hafner and Grayson with ads praising them as progressives in the mold of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York). The funders of the super PAC came shortly before the primary, allowing them to avoid identifying themselves until after the primary under FEC regulations...

None of the groups responded to requests for comment. Grayson and Hafner said they had no contact from national party groups.Grayson didn’t know about the ads until a friend in Anchorage told him about them. Adams, the Sullivan spokesperson, said all Sullivan joint fundraising committees were focused solely on reelecting the senator.