Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has ordered the state Department of Public Safety to investigate whether an alleged effort to put a second “Dan Sullivan” on the U.S. Senate ballot broke Alaska law, according to the Associated Press and the Juneau Independent. The order, posted on X late Wednesday, could lead to criminal charges or civil action, the governor wrote.
“I am therefore directing the Department of Public Safety to investigate whether this scheme violated Alaska’s laws and whether criminal charges or civil action are warranted,” Dunleavy wrote, according to the Juneau Independent and the BBC. “The evidence will determine what happens next.”
BREAKING: Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy orders an investigation into an alleged Democrat-linked election scheme involving a candidate with nearly the same name as incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan.@madeleinerivera reports the governor is directing the Department of Public… pic.twitter.com/72sGlv2J3G
— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 29, 2026
The Republican governor’s move follows a New York Times report, published Wednesday, that said people connected to Democrat Mary Peltola’s Senate campaign and senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee worked to recruit Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired schoolteacher from Petersburg, to enter the race, according to the BBC’s summary of that report. The Times said it reviewed text messages and interviewed 12 people who took part in or were told about the plan, the BBC reported.
The incumbent, Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, is seeking re-election. Both men are set to appear on next week’s ballot, with the senator listed as the incumbent Republican and the other man as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., the BBC reported.
Governor: Report backs earlier state finding
Dunleavy wrote that the Times reporting backed up an earlier decision by the state Division of Elections, according to the Juneau Independent and the BBC. The Juneau Independent reported that Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher removed Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. from the ballot earlier this year, calling him a sham candidate meant to trick voters, before the Alaska Supreme Court overruled her, holding that the state’s authority is limited to constitutional requirements such as age and residency.
In the same post, Dunleavy argued that Alaskans have a right to vote for the candidate they actually mean to support and that anyone found to have broken the law should be held accountable, The Hill and the Juneau Independent reported.
According to the BBC, the governor’s statement did not name the Peltola campaign and did not say which state laws might apply.
Peltola campaign denies involvement
Peltola’s campaign and the DSCC have both denied any involvement in the reported effort, according to The Hill. A Peltola campaign statement cited by Center Aisle News said the campaign “has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign.” The BBC reported that the second Sullivan has also denied any links to the Peltola campaign.
The Juneau Independent noted that the Times story said so-called ballot stacking is common in campaigns and generally legal, which means investigators would have to tie any conduct to a specific violation of state law.
Pressure from Washington
The governor’s order came a day after President Trump called for Peltola and her campaign to be criminally prosecuted, the Associated Press reported. The Juneau Independent reported that the Trump administration filed a lawsuit last week seeking to stop Alaska from certifying the Senate result if Sen. Sullivan loses by fewer votes than Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. receives, and that the Alaska Department of Law has argued the federal government lacks authority to intervene in a state election.
The race is one of a handful of Senate contests expected to decide control of the chamber, according to the AP. Election Day is Nov. 3, and Alaska uses ranked-choice voting in its general election.
No charges have been filed, and the governor said the evidence will determine the outcome of the state inquiry.
Sources
Sources cited
- https://www.juneauindependent.com/post/dunleavy-orders-state-criminal-investigation-into-peltola-campaign-ballot-stacking-allegations
- https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8vgx0zrpk6no
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/10/29/alaska-governor-orders-investigation-into-democrats-senate-campaign/
- https://x.com/CenterAisleNews/status/2115776262673215889
Sources
- Original post: Fox News (@FoxNews) on X, Oct 29, 2026
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