Alaska governor orders probe after Peltola campaign linked to rival candidate
Gov. Mike Dunleavy directed an investigation into the Senate race following reports that Democrats recruited a challenger with the incumbent senator's name.
By Aiko Brooks ·
Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy ordered a formal investigation into the Democratic campaign for the U.S. Senate on Thursday. The directive, shared on social media overnight, targets the effort by Mary Peltola's team to recruit a second candidate named Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. to the race.
Dunleavy cited new reporting from The New York Times as the basis for the probe. He stated that the evidence points to an organized attempt to manipulate the election. The goal, according to the governor, was to confuse voters and misdirect their votes by placing a candidate with the same name as the incumbent on the ballot.
The move follows a sharp escalation from the White House. President Donald Trump called for the criminal prosecution of Peltola and her campaign staff on Wednesday. He also directed the Department of Justice to sue to block the certification of the election if the duplicate name remained on the ballot.
Peltola, a former congresswoman, responded to the controversy during a stop in Soldotna. She characterized the media coverage as a diversion from policy debates. "This is just another distraction. It's another diversion," she said in a video posted online. "This is all stuff to sell newspapers. This is all stuff to get subscriptions."
The dispute centers on Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired schoolteacher from Petersburg. State elections officials initially ruled him ineligible for the primary ballot. They concluded his candidacy was filed to compromise the ballot's fairness. The Alaska Supreme Court later reversed that decision, allowing him to run. Sullivan has maintained he had no contact with the Peltola campaign.
Voters will see two distinct entries for the Republican seat. The incumbent will appear as Dan S. Sullivan, identified as a registered Republican and incumbent. The challenger will appear as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., with no party affiliation listed. The New York Times reported that texts and documents showed Peltola's team aimed to split support for the GOP senator.
The state elections board will now review the matter under Dunleavy's order. The campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment early Thursday. The Senate race is one of the few contests expected to determine control of the chamber in November.
