The Republican governor of Alaska has ordered an investigation into an alleged scheme that resulted in two men named Dan Sullivan running in the state’s US Senate race. Governor Mike Dunleavy stated he acted in response to a media report claiming that the campaign team of Democratic candidate Mary Peltola worked with individuals trying to recruit spoiler candidates.
Investigation and Campaign Denials
Governor Dunleavy announced on social media that he directed the Department of Public Safety to investigate whether the alleged scheme breached state laws and if criminal charges or civil actions are warranted, noting that evidence will dictate the next steps. The reported scheme allegedly involved people connected to Peltola’s campaign and senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) working to recruit a retired teacher named Dan Sullivan to run in order to dilute support for the incumbent Republican senator, Dan S Sullivan.
Both the Peltola campaign and the DSCC have denied any involvement with the second candidate or any wrongdoing. The campaign for Mary Peltola stated they had no connection to either Sullivan campaign and did not encourage the retired teacher to enter the race. The non-incumbent Dan Sullivan has also denied any ties to the Peltola campaign.
Legal Challenges and Expert Views
Incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan called on his opponent to come clean, while other Republicans demanded severe measures, including President Donald Trump calling for Peltola to be barred from the ballot. Previous efforts by Republicans to remove the non-incumbent candidate were rejected by the Alaska Supreme Court, which found no state laws were violated by his candidacy.
Election law experts expressed doubt that the new investigation or existing lawsuits would remove the second Dan Sullivan from the ballot. Legal specialists noted that convincing someone to run for office is not a crime, even if they share a name with an incumbent, and that the candidate has a constitutional right to have his name listed.
The Trump administration previously filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block the certification of the Alaska election result if the incumbent loses, arguing voter confusion. The Justice Department subsequently amended the lawsuit to reference the recent reporting and the governor’s investigation. Election law experts criticized the lawsuit as lacking a solid legal basis, while Alaska election officials asked a federal court to dismiss the complaint.
Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the administration’s actions on television, asserting that cheating was taking place. Meanwhile, Peltola temporarily paused her campaign activities to recover after sustaining minor injuries with her family in a car crash.
