Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy announced an investigation into allegations that Senate candidate Mary Peltola’s campaign recruited a candidate with the same name as incumbent Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan to confuse voters.
Dunleavy announced the inquiry in a post on X on Wednesday night, stating that election integrity is paramount. Alaskans have a fundamental right to vote for the candidate they intend to support, and anyone found to have broken the law must be held accountable, according to the governor.
The announcement followed a published report alleging that Peltola’s campaign recruited retiree Dan J. Sullivan to challenge Dan S. Sullivan in the race. During the August Republican primary, incumbent Senator Dan S. Sullivan secured 68,726 votes, while Daniel J. Sullivan received 4,107 votes. State leaders previously attempted to remove Daniel J. Sullivan from the ballot, but the Alaska Supreme Court ruled that no state or U.S. constitutional law permitted the court to evaluate candidate motives.
The allegations drew sharp reactions from political figures. President Donald Trump told reporters earlier Wednesday that Peltola should be removed from the ballot, calling the situation voter fraud at the highest level, though early voting in Alaska had already commenced on October 19. A spokesperson for Senator Dan S. Sullivan accused the Peltola campaign of a months-long deception.
Senator Lisa Murkowski also commented on the controversy, stating on X that ballot-stacking has no place in the electoral process and that Alaskans deserve the truth regarding a culture of deception. However, Murkowski previously criticized a preemptive lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice on October 23 seeking to block certification if Peltola wins, stating that the state had already distinguished candidates on the ballot and that federal intervention was unwarranted.
Peltola dismissed the reports during a rally, characterizing the news as another distraction. An analysis of recent polls published in The Washington Post indicated that Peltola held a lead of approximately five points.
Elisa Rios, who served as Peltola’s campaign manager and aide until her termination in August, spoke with reporters to contend that voters deserved the full picture. Rios stated that Peltola was definitely aware of the effort but was not directly involved in the project. Legal experts and observers note that it remains unclear whether any laws were broken even if the campaign orchestrated the plan.
Defenders of the campaign and Democratic strategists pushed back against the focus on the tactics. Lauren French, a spokesperson for the Senate Majority PAC, highlighted past campaign maneuvers by Republican-aligned groups in Alaska, including financial transfers and legal challenges involving other candidates. Democratic strategist Chris Meagher noted on X that while the narrative draws interest, similar tactical maneuvers are not unprecedented in modern politics.
