Voting Rights · Report · File No. 261103-062
FBI questions donors in Alaska town as mystery candidate Dan J. Sullivan vanishes
Federal agents are asking contributors in Petersburg whether they felt deceived by the lesser-known Dan Sullivan on the Senate ballot, while the Democrat in the race, Mary Peltola, denies any role in recruiting him.
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In Petersburg, Alaska, a fishing town of about 3,000 people, nobody has seen Dan J. Sullivan for weeks, the Associated Press reports 1. His home stood dark a day after FBI agents visited friends who donated to his campaign to unseat the Republican senator with the same first and last name, Dan S. Sullivan 1.
The FBI visits are part of a monthslong criminal investigation into allegations that Democratic campaigners recruited candidates to run against the incumbent senator, according to the AP 1. Agents asked donors whether they had felt deceived by the lesser-known Sullivan, and one couple said agents told them they were investigating "campaign finance" violations 1.
Most of Dan J. Sullivan's donors live in Petersburg and together gave $7,150, the AP reports 1. Sharon Hunter and her husband gave $1,000. "It just seems like such a waste of our taxpayer money," she said 1.
It just seems like such a waste of our taxpayer money
The race between Sen. Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola, a former U.S. representative, could determine control of the Senate 1. Peltola has denied any role in the alleged recruiting. "This is Alaska. We're not in the business of tricking each other up here," she told supporters at a rally in Anchorage last week 1.
From Channel GOPPeltola: Tariffs doubled Alaska air taxi's parts billMary Peltola · 142 plays · captioned, with the source named
Dan J. Sullivan has said he entered the race on his own. He told the AP in June that he had no contact with Peltola's campaign — "zero, none, zilch" — and answered "no" when asked if Democratic operatives had contacted him to run 1. The AP has been unable to reach him since a New York Times article last week linked a group backing Peltola to a Democratic operative trying to recruit decoy candidates 1.
A ballot with two Dan Sullivans
In June, the Alaska Division of Elections tried to remove Dan J. Sullivan from the primary ballot, finding he had not filed as a Republican in "good faith" 1. State courts overturned that decision 1. To avoid confusion, the state lists Dan S. Sullivan as a Republican and the incumbent 1. In the August primary, the senator drew 41.4 percent and his namesake 2.5 percent, Newsweek reports 2.
On Sunday, a federal judge dismissed a Justice Department lawsuit that sought to block certification of the election results if Sen. Sullivan lost and votes for his namesake could have changed the outcome 1. The department quickly appealed 1. The Trump administration is also weighing criminal charges over a tactic known as ballot stacking, the AP reports 1.
Sen. Sullivan is seeking a third term and is using the controversy in his campaign. "My costume is the real Dan Sullivan – not the fake guy," he told trick-or-treaters on Saturday night 1.
Not everyone in Alaska sees the ballot as the main issue. Innokenty Lestenkof said the two names confuse some voters. "I definitely agree it confuses people, especially the elderly," he told Newsweek 2. Christy O'Brien disagreed: "No one is confused" 2.
That matters because the dispute now runs on two tracks at once: a federal criminal investigation in a town of 3,000, and a legal fight over whether a Peltola win could be certified 1. With the Senate majority at stake, the answers may not arrive on election night.
The Record
- The Alaska Division of Elections tried to remove Dan J. Sullivan from the primary ballot, finding he had not filed as a Republican in good faith; state courts overturned the decision 1.
- President Donald Trump argued the ballot should have called his endorsed candidate "Senator Dan Sullivan" rather than "incumbent" 2.
- A federal judge dismissed the Justice Department lawsuit seeking to block certification of the Alaska Senate results if Sen. Sullivan lost; the department quickly appealed 1.
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Sources
- PBS NewsHour, “In an Alaska fishing community, the Dan Sullivan episode takes an ominous turn” (2026-11-02). pbs.org/newshour/politics/in-an-alaska-fishing-community-the
- Newsweek, “Trump Says Alaska's ‘Two Dan Sullivans’ Ballot Is Confusing. Voters Agree?” (2026-11-03). newsweek.com/trump-says-alaskas-two-dan-sullivans-ballot-is-
- ABC News, “In Alaska fishing community, the Dan Sullivan episode takes an ominous turn as FBI comes knocking” (2026-11-02). abcnews.com/Politics/wireStory/alaska-fishing-community-dan-
Found an error? Tell the newsroom. Corrections are noted at the top of the story.
More from the files
U.S. attorney says FBI 'surge' is in Alaska over second Dan Sullivan, days before vote
Alaska's top federal prosecutor says the FBI and his office have added agents and lawyers to a criminal and civil probe of a same-name Senate candidate. No crime has been found, and Mary Peltola's campaign denies any role.
Alaska Native villages say promised voting sites never opened before Senate vote
A lawsuit says at least 18 rural Alaska voting sites listed by the state were not operating the week early voting began. The state disputes the count. The Senate race between Mary Peltola and Dan Sullivan is close.
Civil rights groups warn FBI may question Alaska voters on their ballot choices
Voting rights groups told a federal judge that agents asking voters how they marked ballots would threaten the secret ballot. The filing does not say agents have done that. The warning comes two days before the election.
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