Alaska Governor Orders Senate Campaign Probe After Name-Spoofing Report
Gov. Mike Dunleavy directed an investigation into Mary Peltola's race efforts one day after President Trump demanded criminal prosecution.
By Gabriela Ivanov ·
Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy ordered a formal investigation into the Senate campaign of Democratic candidate Mary Peltola on Wednesday. The directive was posted on social media overnight and followed a report by The New York Times alleging that Peltola's team recruited a candidate with the same name as Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan.
The governor stated that the reporting revealed an organized effort to manipulate elections. He described the recruitment of a candidate with the incumbent's name as a deliberate attempt to confuse voters and misdirect their ballots. Dunleavy noted that this new evidence substantially supports earlier findings by the state elections board.
President Donald Trump called for the criminal prosecution of Peltola and her campaign on Thursday. The president had previously directed the Department of Justice to sue to block the certification of the election results if Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. remained on the ballot. Trump told reporters in South Carolina that he doubted Peltola would be seated in the Senate even if she won the race.
Vice President JD Vance supported a probe into possible election fraud but did not demand prosecution. He accused Peltola of pretending for months that she had no involvement in placing a fraudulent candidate on the ballot. Vance described her actions as an attempt to steal a Senate seat from Alaskan voters.
Peltola dismissed the claims during a campaign stop in Soldotna. She characterized the New York Times report as a distraction from issues such as Sullivan's support of the war in Iran. The former congresswoman said in a video that the controversy is a diversion designed to sell newspapers and get subscriptions.
Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired schoolteacher from Petersburg, qualified for the primary ballot after the Alaska Supreme Court ruled in his favor. He previously denied running at the behest of Democrats and stated he had no contact with Peltola's campaign. The state's top elections official had initially ruled him ineligible, finding his candidacy was filed to compromise the ballot's neutrality.
Alaskan voters will see Dan S. Sullivan identified as a registered Republican and incumbent on their ballots. Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. will appear without a party affiliation. Political experts note that parties often support extra candidates to pull votes from rivals, and the federal government has no role in challenging results if state courts allow the candidates to remain.
