Alaska governor says certification could be stopped or changed if Peltola wins

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) suggested Thursday that the state could withhold or change certification of its U.S. Senate election results if Democrat Mary Peltola wins, as an investigation continues into allegations that her campaign recruited a candidate with the same name as GOP incumbent Dan Sullivan ¹².

Asked during an interview with NewsNation whether he would certify the election if Peltola wins while the matter remains under investigation, Dunleavy stopped short of committing to do so ¹. He told interviewer Blake Burman: "If we find out there's wrongdoing, and if that means that the certification then is stopped or changed, then that's what happens" ².

On tapeCBS News · Oct 29

▶6:15

Pressed on whether he believes there is a legitimate possibility Alaska may need to stop or change its election certification, Dunleavy responded, "Depending upon the outcomes of this investigation. Yes" ².

The governor also said, "We are going to investigate it. We're going to follow the law" and "We are ready to do whatever we need to do to ensure that our elections are deemed credible" ². He added: "This strikes to the heart of election integrity. You can't just dismiss what could be a ruse that could throw an election" ².

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

The New York Times reported Wednesday that, according to the report, Peltola's campaign recruited a man named Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. to run against incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan (R) in an effort to confuse voters ². Peltola, a former congresswoman, is challenging the GOP lawmaker in the Alaska Senate race ². Her campaign has denied it played a role in recruiting Sullivan Jr. ¹².

The "Alaskans for Mary" campaign said in an emailed statement Thursday night: "Dunleavy's threat to overrule the will of Alaskan voters exemplifies what Alaskans hate about partisan politics and shows why he's the least popular governor in the country" ¹.

On tapeABC7 · Oct 29

▶3:28

House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) is investigating the allegations ¹. The Justice Department expanded its existing lawsuit seeking to block certification if the senator Sullivan loses ². President Trump accused Peltola of election fraud and said she should be removed from the ballot ².

Not everyone agrees the allegations amount to a legal violation. Frank Kendall, an Alaska lawyer and former GOP operative, told The Hill: "These allegations don't make the Department of Justice's case a better case" and "There's no basis for this lawsuit" ². He added that it can be a nasty, dirty trick and that there can be bad motives behind it, but that according to the Alaska Supreme Court, which is empowered to interpret Alaska law, it is not illegal ².

The Alaska Supreme Court ruled in late June, ahead of the state's primaries, that Sullivan Jr. could remain on the ballot despite a previous GOP challenge ². Dunleavy said Thursday he thinks the high court may have decided differently had it known about Peltola's alleged involvement ².

Dunleavy's term ends Dec. 7, less than two weeks after Alaska's target date for certifying election results ¹. That matters because the governor who is raising the possibility of stopping certification will be leaving office shortly after the count is supposed to be final.

The Record

1. Oct 28, 2026The New York Times reported allegations that Peltola's campaign recruited Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. to run against Sen. Dan Sullivan; Peltola's campaign denies involvement ².
2. Oct 29, 2026Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced a state investigation into the Peltola campaign ².
3. Oct 29, 2026Dunleavy told NewsNation that certification could be stopped or changed depending on the investigation's outcome ².

Sources

1. Axios, “Alaska governor casts doubt on certifying election if Peltola wins” (2026-10-30). axios.com/2026/10/29/alaska-senate-election-peltola-governor
2. The Hill, “Alaska governor: Election certification 'could be stopped' due to Peltola probe” (2026-10-30). thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6182999-alaska-election-verifi

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