Alaska Governor Orders Criminal Probe of Peltola Campaign Over Second 'Dan Sullivan' on Ballot
Gov. Mike Dunleavy acted after a New York Times report that Democratic-aligned operatives helped recruit a same-named candidate. Peltola's campaign denies involvement, and Trump says she should be prosecuted.
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a Republican, on Wednesday ordered an investigation into Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola's campaign. The order follows a New York Times report that people aligned with the campaign helped recruit a candidate with the same first and last name as her main opponent, Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan.
Dunleavy said in a social media post that the Alaska Division of Elections had already opened a probe. He directed the Department of Public Safety to "investigate whether this scheme violated Alaska's laws and whether criminal charges or civil action are warranted." He added: "Deliberately tricking voters into casting their ballots for someone else strikes at the integrity of our elections."
The Times reported that a Democratic operative who worked with Peltola's campaign and national Democrats helped encourage Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired teacher, to run. The paper cited text messages and interviews, and said it appeared to be part of a wider effort to draw more candidates into the race.
Peltola's campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee deny any hand in it. A Peltola spokesperson said the campaign "has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign." Speaking at a stop in Soldotna, Peltola called the report a "distraction," according to Alaska Public Media. "Nobody's waking up worried about ballot composition," she said. "I'm worried about my bills. I'm worried about affordability in health care." Daniel J. Sullivan has denied he is a sham candidate and says he is genuinely running.
President Trump weighed in Wednesday, telling reporters that Peltola and the other Sullivan should be prosecuted. In earlier Truth Social posts he said she "shouldn't be allowed to run" and called it "ELECTION FRAUD." Last week the Justice Department sued to prevent the election from being certified if Sen. Sullivan loses because of "voter confusion" about the two Sullivans. Attorney General Todd Blanche described the suit as an effort to "put guardrails in place." Asked about it, Trump said: "I'm the one that said, 'Do it.'"
The ballot itself is the source of the dispute. Alaska voters rank four candidates who survived a nonpartisan primary. The incumbent is listed as a Republican, while Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. has no party listed. State officials had tried to keep him off the ballot, finding he was trying to confuse voters and that his was not a "good-faith candidacy." The Alaska Supreme Court rejected that decision and allowed him to appear.
Sen. Sullivan's campaign seized on the Times story. Spokesperson Nate Adams said in a statement that "Alaskans deserve the truth," accusing Peltola of spending months "gaslighting Alaskans." The senator has long called his namesake a "sham candidate."
Democrats argue Republicans have a history of the same tactics. The DSCC pointed to a man serving a 20-year prison sentence in New York who ran for Alaska's House seat in 2024, and an Arizona man who ran in this year's Alaska Senate primary. The state probe will now test whether the recruitment, if it happened, broke any law.
