Gov. Dunleavy orders investigation into alleged election scheme

Two Dan Sullivans set to appear on Alaska Senate ballot

Alaska’s Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy ordered an investigation into an alleged “scheme” designed “to manipulate Alaska’s elections,” saying he was responding to a New York Times report that linked people connected to Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola’s campaign to efforts to recruit a namesake challenger into the Senate race. Dunleavy’s statement, which did not name the Peltola campaign, said the newspaper’s reporting supported findings by the state Division of Elections earlier this year.

“I am therefore directing the Department of Public Safety to investigate whether this scheme violated Alaska’s laws and whether criminal charges or civil action are warranted,” Dunleavy wrote. “The evidence will determine what happens next.”

The New York Times reported that people connected to Peltola’s campaign, as well as senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), worked to try to recruit the second Sullivan — a retired teacher who lives in a remote fishing village — to stand in the Senate race. The newspaper said the effort was part of a broader push to encourage other would-be “spoiler” candidates to enter the race and dilute support for the sitting Republican senator. It said it had seen text messages and interviewed 12 people who participated in or were told of the plan, or were would-be candidates the team tried to recruit. The BBC has not independently verified the newspaper’s reporting.

Peltola’s team denied any wrongdoing and said it had not encouraged the second Sullivan to stand in the tight contest. A statement from an Alaskans for Mary spokesperson, written before Dunleavy’s call for an investigation, said: “Mary got in this race because Alaskans deserve a champion who is fighting to lower their costs and put Alaska first, and no tweet or threat from any DC politician will keep her away from that fight.” The statement added: “The Alaskans for Mary campaign has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign.” In a statement given to U.S. media, the DSCC likewise denied that it had been involved in any such scheme.

The second Dan Sullivan denied any links to the Peltola campaign. He has given few interviews, but he told the Times in August that he was running the race in good faith as a moderate Republican, though he had voted for Peltola in previous contests. The ballot paper is set to list the two men as Dan S Sullivan, described as the incumbent Republican senator, and Daniel J Sullivan Jr. Earlier Republican efforts to remove the retired teacher from the ballot have already been rejected by the Alaska Supreme Court.

In a series of Truth Social posts, President Donald Trump pointed to the report and made a variety of allegations against Peltola, arguing that she should be removed from the ballot. He repeated his endorsement of the incumbent, writing: “Dan is a GREAT man, has ALWAYS delivered for Alaska.” Sullivan, the incumbent senator, and fellow Republicans have accused Democrats of trying to confuse voters. Trump’s administration previously filed a legal case aimed at preventing the certification of the result if the Trump-backed candidate loses, arguing that the presence of both Sullivans on the ballot could confuse voters.

Analysts consider the Alaska race one of the tightest of the upcoming midterm elections, which will decide which party controls Congress. Americans head to the polls across the country on Tuesday. The certification battle threatens to delay the full picture of nationwide results, and the ultimate question of which party controls Congress will have a significant bearing on the remaining two years of Trump’s presidency.

Peltola earlier this week paused campaigning activities to recover after she and her family sustained “minor injuries” in a car crash.