Alaska's governor orders a state investigation into a reported effort to put a second Dan Sullivan on the Senate ballotAlaska's governor orders a state investigation into a reported effort to put a second Dan Sullivan on the Senate ballot

Alaska's Republican governor, Mike Dunleavy, has directed the state Department of Public Safety, the agency that runs the Alaska State Troopers, to investigate "whether this scheme violated Alaska's laws and whether criminal charges or civil action are warranted." He posted the order on X late on Wednesday, October 28, after a New York Times report. His statement did not name the Peltola campaign or say which laws he had in mind.

The Times reported that people connected to the campaign of Mary Peltola, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate and a former congresswoman, worked with senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) to try to recruit Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired teacher from Petersburg, to run. The goal, the paper reported, was to draw votes from the Republican incumbent, Sen. Dan S. Sullivan. The Times said it saw text messages and interviewed 12 people. Both men are on the November 3 ballot.

Sen. Sullivan said Peltola should "come clean" and, according to the BBC, described it as a scandal of the highest order. President Trump wrote that Peltola "should be removed from the Ballot and prosecuted." Peltola's campaign said it "has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign," and the DSCC said it "is not involved with Dan J. Sullivan." Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. has denied any links with the Peltola campaign and says he entered the race on his own.

Separately, the Justice Department sued in federal court on October 22 to block Alaska from certifying a Peltola win while the second Sullivan is on the ballot. Alaska's election officials have asked the court to dismiss that suit. Alaska's courts let Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. stay on the ballot in June, and election law experts quoted by the BBC said it is unclear whether any state law was broken.