Alaska Senate Race Upended as DOJ Sues to Hold Results Amid Ballot Name Chaos
Governor Mike Dunleavy directed the Department of Public Safety to determine if laws were broken after a New York Times report alleged a coordinated effort to recruit a lookalike candidate against Sen. Dan S. Sullivan.
By Madison Lewis ·
Gov. Mike Dunleavy ordered the Department of Public Safety to investigate whether criminal or civil action is warranted in the U.S. Senate race in Alaska. The probe follows a New York Times report detailing an alleged scheme by the campaign of Rep. Mary Peltola to recruit a candidate with a name nearly identical to the incumbent Republican senator.
In a post on X, Dunleavy stated that the reporting reveals an organized effort to manipulate elections by recruiting candidates to confuse voters. He noted that the Alaska Division of Elections had already investigated these specific concerns in June. The new details, according to the governor, substantially support the earlier findings from the state elections office.
The ballot for the ranked-choice voting contest lists incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan alongside Daniel J. Sullivan, Jr. The latter is a retired teacher listed without a party affiliation. The New York Times article, titled Inside Democrats’ Secret Effort to Stack Alaska’s Ballot, claimed that Peltola’s team worked with individuals attempting to recruit Mr. Sullivan. The group also sought to bring in other spoiler candidates to dilute the incumbent’s support and help the Democrat win.
The federal government is already involved in the dispute. On Oct. 22, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit seeking to delay certification if Sen. Dan S. Sullivan loses. The suit asks the court to hold the results pending an investigation into whether voters mistakenly selected the wrong candidate. The DOJ argues that votes cast for Daniel J. Sullivan could have changed the final outcome.
Sen. Dan Sullivan addressed the controversy in an interview with Sean Hannity on Wednesday night. He criticized his opponent, describing her as a far-left candidate with little substance to offer. Sullivan suggested that the recruitment effort was a reaction to his record and vision for the state. He also noted that Peltola has not yet apologized for the situation.
Rep. Mary Peltola’s campaign responded to the New York Times with a written statement. The Alaskans for Mary campaign said it had no involvement with either Sullivan campaign and did not recruit any candidates into the race. Peltola’s team did not immediately respond to a comment request from Fox News Digital on Thursday.
Dunleavy emphasized that Alaskans have the right to vote for the specific candidate they intend to support. He stated that anyone or any organization found to have broken the law must be held accountable. The Department of Public Safety will now determine if the actions taken during the race violated Alaska law.
