Alaska governor orders investigation into Peltola campaign days before election

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Thursday ordered the state Department of Public Safety to investigate whether an alleged "scheme" to put a second Dan Sullivan on the Senate ballot broke Alaska law, his office said in a statement ². Americans vote on Tuesday, Nov. 3 ².

The investigation follows a New York Times report, published Wednesday, that said people connected to Democrat Mary Peltola's campaign and senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) worked to recruit a retired teacher named Dan Sullivan to run against the Republican incumbent, Sen. Dan Sullivan ¹². The BBC said it had not independently verified the Times reporting ².

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Dunleavy, a Republican, wrote that the Times reporting supported findings by the state Division of Elections earlier this year. "I am therefore directing the Department of Public Safety to investigate whether this scheme violated Alaska's laws and whether criminal charges or civil action are warranted," he said. "The evidence will determine what happens next." ²

Peltola's campaign denies any involvement with either Sullivan campaign. "The Alaskans for Mary campaign has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign," a spokesperson said ¹. The DSCC also denied involvement in any such scheme ².

From Channel GOPPeltola: Tariffs doubled Alaska air taxi's parts billMary Peltola · 141 plays · captioned, with the source named

The second Dan Sullivan, a retired teacher who lives in a remote fishing village, denies any links to the Peltola campaign. He told the Times in August that he was running in good faith as a moderate Republican, though he said he had voted for Peltola in previous contests ².

Sen. Sullivan told Fox News on Wednesday night that Peltola should address the matter openly and criticized it ². His fellow Alaska Republican, Sen. Lisa Murkowksi, accused the Democratic campaign of engaging in a pattern of dishonesty ².

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Nate Adams, a spokesperson for the senator's campaign, said: "Alaskans deserve the truth." He added that "Mary Peltola and her campaign have spent months gaslighting Alaskans, denying a scheme they were running all along." ¹

President Donald Trump shared a link to the Times article on Truth Social and called it proof of "election fraud." "I don't think Mary Peltola, after perpetrating such a terrible scheme, should be allowed to run," he added ¹. His administration has already filed a lawsuit seeking to block certification of the result if Sullivan loses, arguing that two Sullivans on the ballot could confuse voters ².

The ballot lists the incumbent as "Sullivan, Dan S. (Registered Republican) Incumbent" and the challenger as "Sullivan, Daniel J. Jr." ¹. Alaska's ranked-choice voting system means voters could select both Sullivans if they are unsure at the ballot box ². The state Supreme Court has already rejected Republican efforts to remove the challenger from the ballot ².

The race is one of a handful Democrats are targeting to win back a Senate majority, where they hold 47 seats to the GOP's 53, and recent polls have shown Peltola in the lead ¹. Peltola paused campaigning this week to recover after she and her family sustained "minor injuries" in a car crash ².

That matters because the dispute could delay the full picture of nationwide results after the midterms, at a moment when control of Congress will shape the remaining two years of Trump's presidency ².

The Record

1. Oct 28, 2026The New York Times reports that people connected to Peltola's campaign and DSCC aides worked to recruit a second Dan Sullivan ¹.
2. Oct 28, 2026Sen. Dan Sullivan tells Fox News that Peltola should address the matter openly ².
3. Oct 29, 2026Gov. Mike Dunleavy directs the Department of Public Safety to investigate the alleged scheme ².

Sources

1. The Guardian, “Democrat Mary Peltola’s campaign reportedly recruited second Dan Sullivan in Alaska Senate race” (2026-10-28). theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/28/mary-peltola-dan-sulliva
2. bbc.com, “Alaska governor orders probe into Democratic campaign's alleged links to same-name candidate” (2026-10-29). bbc.com/news/articles/c8vgx0zrpk6no

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