Gov. Dunleavy Orders Probe Into Alaska Senate Ballot Dispute

Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy directed the state's Department of Public Safety on Wednesday night to investigate whether a scheme to recruit a second candidate named Dan Sullivan violated Alaska law. The order comes days before Election Day and follows a New York Times report alleging that Democratic campaign operatives worked to place a non-incumbent Sullivan on the ballot.

The report details communications between attorneys for Democrat Mary Peltola and senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Peltola, a former congresswoman seeking to flip the seat, has denied involvement in the candidacy of the other Sullivan. The Times story is based on interviews with those advisers and campaign staff.

Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, the incumbent, has long alleged that the second candidate serves as a spoiler designed to siphon support from his campaign. Nate Adams, a spokesperson for the senator, said in a statement that Peltola and her team have spent months denying a scheme they were running. President Donald Trump called the findings "Voter Fraud at the Highest Level" in an online post.

The Justice Department filed an amended complaint on Thursday, citing the new reporting as a factor in its legal effort to delay certification if the incumbent loses by a small margin. Officials said the story expands their options for investigating the race. Previously, the department sought a court order to pause certification, a move that election law experts criticized as weak because the Constitution grants states control over elections.

The non-incumbent Sullivan advanced to the general election after Alaska's nonpartisan primary, which sends the top four vote-getters to the fall ballot. The Alaska Supreme Court ruled in June that the candidate could appear on the general election ballot after state officials probed the candidacy. The ballot notes which Sullivan is the Republican incumbent.

Alaska uses a ranked-choice voting system for the general election, which some experts say could mitigate voter confusion. If voters are unsure, they can rank both Sullivans and leave Peltola unranked. A separate measure on the ballot asks voters if they want to keep the state's unique election system.

Elaine Kamarck, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who co-authored a book on campaign tricks, told NPR that such maneuvers are common in politics. She noted that while the internet makes it easier to spread information about these tactics, they remain standard fare for campaigns. Residents in Alaska gave mixed reactions to the news, with some frustrated by the distraction and others skeptical that voters would be confused by the duplicate names.