Alaska governor says state probing 'Decoy Dan' as Peltola leads Sullivan by 2,517 votes

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a Republican, said Sunday that state investigators are examining possible wrongdoing around a second Dan Sullivan on the state's Senate ballot. He said that includes conduct that "might resemble perjury." ¹

Democrat Mary Peltola led Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan by 2,517 votes, nearly a week after the polls closed. ¹ The second candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., is a retired teacher from Petersburg. He had 3,651 votes, or 1.7 percent, as of Monday afternoon. That is more than the margin. ¹

What the governor said

We are in the midst of investigations as to determine if there was any wrongdoing,

Dunleavy ordered the Department of Public Safety to investigate on Oct. 28. He asked whether efforts to recruit a same-name challenger broke state law, and whether criminal charges or civil penalties are warranted. ² He did not say which laws might have been broken or who would be investigated. ²

The probe followed a New York Times report in late October. It said people connected to Peltola's campaign and national Democrats had worked to recruit Daniel J. Sullivan. ¹ Peltola's campaign has denied involvement, and Daniel J. Sullivan has denied coordinating with it. ¹²

From Channel GOPPeltola: Tariffs doubled Alaska air taxi's parts billMary Peltola · 142 plays · captioned, with the source named

Federal case and legal doubts

Federal prosecutors have their own inquiry. The Justice Department has also sued to block certification of a Peltola win if votes for the second Sullivan could have changed the outcome. ¹ The Associated Press, citing an unnamed source, reported new subpoenas. ²

It is unclear whether recruiting him broke any criminal law. Ballot stacking is not illegal at the federal level, and the Justice Department has not said which offenses it is examining. ¹ Michael Morley, a Florida State University law professor, called the department's lawsuit "completely meritless." ¹

Justin Levitt, a former Justice Department attorney, said the reported facts do not appear to show a federal crime. He noted that an undisclosed payment backing Sullivan's campaign could raise campaign finance questions. ² These are allegations, and no one has been charged. ¹²

Why ranked-choice counting matters

Alaska uses ranked-choice voting, in which voters rank candidates in order of preference. No candidate is expected to reach 50 percent, so a ranked-choice count is likely on Nov. 18. ¹ If standings hold, Daniel J. Sullivan will be eliminated first and his ballots will go to each voter's next choice. ¹

Scott Kendall, the Anchorage attorney who wrote the 2020 ballot measure creating the system, says a voter confused by the two names could rank both. The ballot would then count for the senator. ¹ He said the ballots counted so far "show minimal confusion." ¹

Repeal Now, the group behind Ballot Measure 2 to repeal the system, disagrees. It said it heard from voters who thought they picked the wrong Dan Sullivan, and from others who did not rank at all. ¹ "No" votes on repeal were at 52.3 percent Monday afternoon. ¹

What happens next

Mail ballots postmarked by Election Day can arrive through Nov. 13, and overseas ballots through Nov. 18. Certification is set for Nov. 25. ¹ Election officials counted about 45,500 absentee ballots, 70,300 early votes and 5,700 questioned ballots as of Monday morning. Those totals will change as mail arrives. ¹

That matters because a seat's outcome may now turn on the final count, a federal lawsuit and a state probe. Whatever investigators find, the count will show how many voters meant to back one Sullivan and ended up with the other. Dunleavy's office did not respond to Newsweek's request for comment. ¹

The Record

1. Oct 28, 2026Gov. Dunleavy orders the Department of Public Safety to investigate efforts to recruit a same-name challenger. ²
2. Nov 8, 2026Dunleavy says state investigators are examining possible wrongdoing, including conduct that 'might resemble perjury.' ¹
3. Nov 18, 2026A ranked-choice count is expected, with overseas ballots due the same day; certification is set for Nov. 25. ¹

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<h2>Alaska governor says state probing &#39;Decoy Dan&#39; as Peltola leads Sullivan by 2,517 votes</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Campaign Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/alaska-governor-says-state-probing-decoy-dan-as-peltola-leads-sullivan-by-2-517">The GOP Files</a> on Monday, November 9, 2026.</em></p> <p>Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a Republican, said Sunday that state investigators are examining possible wrongdoing around a second Dan Sullivan on the state&#39;s Senate ballot. He said that includes conduct that &quot;might resemble perjury.&quot;</p> <p>Democrat Mary Peltola led Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan by 2,517 votes, nearly a week after the polls closed. The second candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., is a retired teacher from Petersburg. He had 3,651 votes, or 1.7 percent, as of Monday afternoon. That is more than the margin.</p> <h2>What the governor said</h2> <blockquote><p>We are in the midst of investigations as to determine if there was any wrongdoing,</p><p>&mdash; Mike Dunleavy, Governor of Alaska, Republican</p></blockquote> <p>Dunleavy ordered the Department of Public Safety to investigate on Oct. 28. He asked whether efforts to recruit a same-name challenger broke state law, and whether criminal charges or civil penalties are warranted. He did not say which laws might have been broken or who would be investigated.</p> <p>The probe followed a New York Times report in late October. It said people connected to Peltola&#39;s campaign and national Democrats had worked to recruit Daniel J. Sullivan. Peltola&#39;s campaign has denied involvement, and Daniel J. Sullivan has denied coordinating with it.</p> <h2>Federal case and legal doubts</h2> <p>Federal prosecutors have their own inquiry. The Justice Department has also sued to block certification of a Peltola win if votes for the second Sullivan could have changed the outcome. The Associated Press, citing an unnamed source, reported new subpoenas.</p> <p>It is unclear whether recruiting him broke any criminal law. Ballot stacking is not illegal at the federal level, and the Justice Department has not said which offenses it is examining. Michael Morley, a Florida State University law professor, called the department&#39;s lawsuit &quot;completely meritless.&quot;</p> <p>Justin Levitt, a former Justice Department attorney, said the reported facts do not appear to show a federal crime. He noted that an undisclosed payment backing Sullivan&#39;s campaign could raise campaign finance questions. These are allegations, and no one has been charged.</p> <h2>Why ranked-choice counting matters</h2> <p>Alaska uses ranked-choice voting, in which voters rank candidates in order of preference. No candidate is expected to reach 50 percent, so a ranked-choice count is likely on Nov. 18. If standings hold, Daniel J. Sullivan will be eliminated first and his ballots will go to each voter&#39;s next choice.</p> <p>Scott Kendall, the Anchorage attorney who wrote the 2020 ballot measure creating the system, says a voter confused by the two names could rank both. The ballot would then count for the senator. He said the ballots counted so far &quot;show minimal confusion.&quot;</p> <p>Repeal Now, the group behind Ballot Measure 2 to repeal the system, disagrees. It said it heard from voters who thought they picked the wrong Dan Sullivan, and from others who did not rank at all. &quot;No&quot; votes on repeal were at 52.3 percent Monday afternoon.</p> <h2>What happens next</h2> <p>Mail ballots postmarked by Election Day can arrive through Nov. 13, and overseas ballots through Nov. 18. Certification is set for Nov. 25. Election officials counted about 45,500 absentee ballots, 70,300 early votes and 5,700 questioned ballots as of Monday morning. Those totals will change as mail arrives.</p> <p>That matters because a seat&#39;s outcome may now turn on the final count, a federal lawsuit and a state probe. Whatever investigators find, the count will show how many voters meant to back one Sullivan and ended up with the other. Dunleavy&#39;s office did not respond to Newsweek&#39;s request for comment.</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/alaska-governor-says-state-probing-decoy-dan-as-peltola-leads-sullivan-by-2-517">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/alaska-governor-says-state-probing-decoy-dan-as-peltola-leads-sullivan-by-2-517.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. Newsweek, “Alaska Governor Gives 'Decoy Dan' Probe Update Amid Tight Senate Race” (2026-11-10). newsweek.com/alaska-governor-gives-decoy-dan-probe-update-am
2. Alaska Public Media, “Dunleavy calls for investigation into Democrats' reported ballot-stacking effort in Alaska U.S. Senate race” (2026-10-29). alaskapublic.org/news/politics/elections/2026-10-29/dunleavy

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