Alaska Governor Orders Probe Into Two Dan Sullivans on Ballot

What happened

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has ordered an investigation into an alleged scheme that put two men named Dan Sullivan on the state's U.S. Senate ballot. In a post on X, the Republican governor said he was acting on a New York Times report about the race. He directed the Department of Public Safety to look into whether the scheme broke Alaska law, and whether criminal charges or civil action are warranted.

The Times reported that people connected to Democratic candidate Mary Peltola's campaign, along with senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, worked to recruit a retired teacher named Dan Sullivan to stand. The paper said the effort was meant to bring spoiler candidates into the race and dilute support for the sitting Republican senator. It said it had seen text messages and interviewed 12 people who took part in the plan, were told about it, or were would-be candidates the team tried to recruit. The BBC said it has not independently verified the Times reporting.

Dunleavy did not name the Peltola campaign in his statement, and he did not say which laws he had in mind. He wrote that the Times reporting supported findings made earlier this year by the state Division of Elections. "The evidence will determine what happens next," he wrote.

Why it matters

The ballot is set to list the two men as Dan S Sullivan, described as the incumbent Republican senator, and Daniel J Sullivan Jr. The second Sullivan is a retired teacher who lives in a remote fishing village, and he has denied any links with the Peltola campaign. Peltola's team says it did not encourage him to stand.

Analysts consider the Alaska race one of the tightest of the midterm elections, which decide which party controls Congress. That is why a dispute over one name on one state's ballot is drawing national attention in the closing days of the campaign, as [Trump and Obama traded blows on the trail in Georgia and Ohio](/article/obama-trump-trade-blows-georgia-ohio-midterms) and [questions about election integrity have sharpened](/article/trump-accept-midterm-results-only-honest-elections).

The courts have already weighed in once. Previous Republican efforts to remove the retired teacher from the ballot were rejected by the Alaska Supreme Court, which found no state laws had been broken by him running. Last week, the Trump administration filed a federal lawsuit aimed at preventing certification of the result if the Trump-backed Sullivan loses, arguing that two Sullivans on the ballot could confuse voters. Alaska election officials have asked a federal court to dismiss that suit, saying the complaint has no legal basis.

What it means for the US

Control of the Senate is on the line in the midterms, and Alaska is one of the races that could help decide it. A close result there, followed by a legal fight over certification, could leave the national picture unclear after election night. That matters because which party holds Congress will shape the remaining two years of President Donald Trump's presidency.

Alaska's ranked-choice voting system adds another wrinkle: voters who are unsure at the ballot box could select both Sullivans. Legal experts have also questioned the federal lawsuit, with New York University election law expert Rick Pildes calling the Justice Department's arguments a frivolous theory. He noted the suit did not cite a specific provision the government wanted to enforce, only a general preamble from a sweeping voting law.

What happens next

The Department of Public Safety investigation is now the immediate next step, though Dunleavy gave no timeline for it. The Justice Department has pledged continued legal action following the Times reporting, with Attorney General Todd Blanche saying on Fox News that Democrats were cheating. Trump has also called for Peltola to be barred, while repeating his endorsement of the incumbent Sullivan.

Peltola, meanwhile, paused campaigning earlier this week to recover after she and her family sustained minor injuries in a car crash. Voters across the country head to the polls on Tuesday, and the Alaska result may not be settled quickly if the ballot dispute and the certification lawsuit drag on past election night.