Alaska governor orders investigation into Senate race over second Sullivan

Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy has ordered an investigation into the U.S. Senate race following reports that the Democratic campaign for Mary Peltola recruited a challenger with the same name as the Republican incumbent.

The order was posted on social media overnight, one day after President Donald Trump demanded the criminal prosecution of Peltola and her staff. In a race expected to decide control of the Senate, Trump previously directed his Department of Justice to sue to block the certification of results if Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. remains on the ballot.

Dunleavy stated that reporting by The New York Times revealed an organized effort to manipulate the election by recruiting candidates to confuse voters. He noted that the report substantially supports earlier findings by the state elections board regarding the matter.

The controversy began earlier this year when a top state elections official ruled Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired schoolteacher in Petersburg, ineligible for the primary ballot. The official concluded his candidacy was filed to compromise the ballot's fairness. The Alaska Supreme Court later ruled that Sullivan Jr. was qualified to run. He has denied working with Peltola's team, describing their contact as zero.

Vice President JD Vance supported the probe on Thursday, calling the situation disgraceful. He said Peltola has pretended for months that her campaign had no involvement with placing a fraudulent person on the ballot designed to confuse Alaskan voters.

Peltola dismissed the claims as a distraction during a campaign stop in Soldotna. She suggested the news was intended to sell newspapers and divert attention from issues like Sen. Dan Sullivan's support for the war in Iran. Her campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the governor's order.

Alaskan voters will see Dan S. Sullivan identified as the incumbent registered Republican. Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. will appear on the ballot without a party affiliation. The New York Times reported that interviews and documents showed Peltola's team aimed to split support for the GOP senator.