Alaska Governor Orders Probe of Senate Race After 'Spoiler' Report

Alaska’s U.S. Senate race, a critical contest for control of the federal chamber, faces new scrutiny as state authorities move to investigate potential irregularities. Governor Mike Dunleavy announced Wednesday night that he is directing the state’s Department of Public Safety to examine the candidacy of the non-incumbent Dan Sullivan.

The governor’s order came in response to a New York Times report detailing communications between Democratic campaign operatives and the second Sullivan. The article described efforts to recruit the candidate, a move Republicans have long alleged was designed to confuse voters and drain support from the GOP incumbent, who also shares the name Dan Sullivan.

The Times based its reporting on interviews and communications involving attorneys and advisers for Democratic candidate Mary Peltola, as well as senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. The story surfaced just days before Election Day, injecting uncertainty into a race that polling describes as a toss-up.

Peltola, a former congresswoman, campaigned in the state on Wednesday. She characterized the media coverage as a distraction from the campaign’s core issues. Her campaign and the DSCC reiterated their long-standing denial that they orchestrated the non-incumbent Sullivan’s candidacy. The second Sullivan did not respond to requests for comment, though he has previously stated that running for Senate was his own decision.

Republican officials reacted swiftly to the reporting. Nate Adams, a spokesperson for Senator Dan Sullivan, issued a statement claiming that Peltola and her team had spent months denying a scheme they were actively executing. President Donald Trump described the situation as voter fraud at the highest level in an online post.

The Justice Department under the Trump administration had already sought to intervene in the race. Last week, the department asked a court to delay the certification of results if the incumbent Sullivan lost by a small margin. The legal filing cited potential voter confusion caused by the two candidates sharing the same name. Election law experts had largely viewed that initial case as weak, noting that the Constitution grants states primary control over their election processes.

Following the publication of the Times story, Justice Department officials said the new information expanded their investigative options. The department filed an amended complaint citing the recent reporting. This legal maneuver adds a federal layer to the state-level probe ordered by Governor Dunleavy.

State officials had previously examined the dual Sullivan candidacies. The Alaska Supreme Court ruled in June that the non-incumbent Sullivan was eligible to appear on the general election ballot. That decision allowed him to advance after Alaska’s nonpartisan primary, which sends the top four vote-getters to the fall ballot regardless of party affiliation.

Elaine Kamarck, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, noted that campaign trickery is common and difficult to legislate against. She observed that the internet facilitates the spread of both tricks and corrections. Some voters compared the situation to Republican spending supporting a Democratic federal prisoner who also appears on Alaska’s U.S. House ballot.

The state’s ranked-choice voting system offers a potential buffer against confusion. Experts noted that voters could rank both Sullivans in their preference order while excluding Peltola. The ballot also indicates which Sullivan is the Republican incumbent. Voters will also decide whether to retain the ranked-choice system in the same election.