Oh dear: Investigators have also been told of a conversation where Matt Gaetz and a prominent Florida lobbyist discussed arranging a sham candidate in a State Senate race last year to siphon votes from an ally’s opponent https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/08/us/politics/matt-gaetz-investigation.html?smid=tw-share

Investigators have also learned in recent months about a potential allegation involving a State Senate race in 2020, in which an associate of Mr. Gaetz’s, Jason T. Brodeur, ran for an open seat.

Mr. Gaetz, a Republican who represents the Florida Panhandle, and an ally in Florida politics, the lobbyist Chris Dorworth, discussed the possibility of putting a third-party candidate on the ballot to help Mr. Brodeur, according to two people told of the conversation.

Recruiting a third-party candidate to run for office and funnel votes from another candidate is generally legal, but the practice of secretly paying these ghost candidates, who are paid to run on a third-party ticket, is typically considered a violation of campaign finance laws.

In Mr. Brodeur’s race, a third candidate did appear on the ballot: Jestine Iannotti. Though she had no party affiliation, raised little money until the final months of the race and did little campaigning, fliers depicting her as a Democrat were sent to voters.

One of these campaign fliers featured a stock photo of a Black woman and said, “Jestine Iannotti will always be there for us.”

Ms. Iannotti is white.

Mr. Brodeur, through a spokeswoman, said he knew nothing about the fliers and had nothing to do with them. Neither Mr. Gaetz nor aides responded to calls, texts or emails seeking comment.

A ghost candidate scheme would be brazen even in Florida, which has been fertile ground for unseemly political ploys.

Similar doubts emerged last year about two races in Miami where largely unknown third-party candidates helped Republicans win to maintain control of the state’s Senate.

In one of the Miami races, which was decided by 32 votes, an accused ghost candidate and a campaign backer have been indicted on campaign finance charges.