Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola has denied any knowledge of an alleged scheme to place a second candidate named Dan Sullivan on the Alaska ballot, as the Justice Department confirmed the existence of both civil and criminal investigations into the matter.
"I just want to clear the air," Peltola said during a campaign appearance in Juneau. "I knew nothing about any other candidate on the ballot except for me and the incumbent. That is all I have ever known about. I am not interested in tricking voters."
The Alaska Senate race features two candidates sharing the name Dan Sullivan. The incumbent is Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan, a two-term senator seeking re-election. The second is Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired teacher from a remote fishing village, who announced his candidacy on May 29 — three days before Alaska's June 1 filing deadline — and has no prior political experience.
Earlier this week, a report by a major US newspaper alleged that people connected to Peltola's campaign, as well as senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), worked to recruit Dan J. Sullivan and other similarly named candidates in what was internally described as a "ballot composition project." The report said it was based on text messages reviewed by journalists and interviews with 12 people who participated in or were told of the plan. The Peltola campaign and the DSCC have denied involvement. Dan J. Sullivan has also repeatedly denied running at Democrats' behest.
US Attorney for the District of Alaska Michael Heyman confirmed at a Friday press conference that both a civil and a criminal investigation are ongoing. He said the investigation had been underway for several months but that recent reporting had resulted in "a significant surge of law enforcement assets to Alaska." Heyman said Democrats had "orchestrated a sprawling conspiracy to recruit and prop up Daniel J Sullivan as a sham candidate," adding that authorities were "taking that extremely seriously." No charges had been filed as of Friday evening.
As part of a federal lawsuit filed the previous week, Justice Department attorneys asked a federal judge to issue an order before Monday directing state election officials to "preserve and segregate" all ballots that rank Dan J. Sullivan. Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward argued the measure was needed to investigate whether such rankings were "the product of voter confusion, should such an investigation become necessary." "These modest precautionary measures will be impossible after Election Day, so there is good cause for expedited consideration," he said.
Alaska's Republican Attorney General — the state's top prosecutor — asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit, calling the federal request "inappropriate and not even possible given Alaskan voters' vital right to ballot secrecy." The filing stated there was "no reason for this Court to entertain this meritless lawsuit any longer." State attorneys also noted that ballots are commingled in the ballot box on Election Day, making segregation technically impossible without violating ballot secrecy protections.
State election officials had already taken steps to distinguish the two candidates on the ballot. The incumbent appears as Dan S. Sullivan, Republican and incumbent, while the second candidate is listed as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., with no party affiliation.
Alaska uses a ranked-choice voting system, meaning voters can rank multiple candidates in order of preference. The presence of two candidates sharing a surname raises the possibility that some voters could rank both Sullivans, whether intentionally or by mistake.
Alaska's Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy ordered a separate official inquiry earlier this week. President Donald Trump has publicly described the situation as "election fraud" and said he directed the Justice Department to file the case.
An attorney who worked on previous Republican Senate campaigns in Alaska told sources he was skeptical that the actions described in the newspaper report broke the law, noting that Alaska law does not include specific good-faith requirements for candidates and that spoiler candidates have appeared in past contests. He said the primary risk to Peltola from the allegations was "absolute reputational harm." Legal experts noted that campaign finance violations could potentially bring federal criminal exposure, but said no such evidence had yet emerged.
The Alaska race is considered one of the most competitive in the upcoming midterm elections, which will determine which party controls the US Senate. The election is scheduled for Tuesday.
