Mystery swirls over GOP candidate who doesn’t appear to actually exist

Barrett Lynton, a Rhode Island Republican who filed to run for the state's 1st Congressional District, doesn't seem to actually exist, reported WJAR on Thursday.

"A look at the long list of people who have filed federal statements of candidacy now includes the name Barrett Lynton," reported Brian Crandall. "Barrett Lynton filed on May 3, as a Republican, with an address in Smithfield. The NBC 10 I-Team checked those property records, and found other names listed as the owners there. One of the homeowners told NBC 10 News over the phone that she has no idea who Barrett Lynton is."

In fact, the Rhode Island Secretary of State's Office doesn't have any registration for a voter by that name — and reporters could not find records of anyone named "Barrett Lynton" anywhere in the entire country.

"The Rhode Island Republican Party told NBC 10 News that the party chairman 'has had calls with several prospective candidates, but Barrett Lynton is not one of them. He has not reached out to the Party or notified us about his intent to run,'" said the report. Meanwhile, "The homeowner at the given address does say they've recently begun getting mail addressed to Barrett Lynton, including from a Republican political strategist."

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"The FEC notes that making a knowingly false statement to them is a crime that can result in legal punishment," said the report. "And the federal agency keeps a file of unverified candidates, some with names that look real, but plenty of others like The Batman, Dirty Cockroach, Buddy the Elf, Cranky for President, Taco Cat for President, of course Mickey Mouse, and plenty that can’t be written here."

Sometimes, these kinds of filings cause actual harm to the democratic process. In Florida in 2020, some GOP strategists illegally recruited "ghost candidates" to run who, while they existed, didn't mount a serious campaign, and some happened to have the same last names as Democratic incumbents on the ballot, who went on to lose partly because voters mistakenly split between them. This scheme led to several arrests and criminal charges.