Dunleavy Orders State Police Probe Into Dual Candidate Scheme
The governor directed the Department of Public Safety to determine if legal action is warranted after reports of a coordinated effort to recruit a namesake of the incumbent senator.
By Allison Rojas ·
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy ordered the Department of Public Safety to investigate an alleged strategy to confuse voters in the upcoming Senate race. The probe follows a report by The New York Times detailing efforts to recruit a candidate with the same name as incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska). The governor’s office will determine if state laws were violated and whether criminal or civil charges are appropriate.
The move came after The New York Times reported that campaign staffers for Senate candidate Mary Peltola (D-Alaska) and allied operatives worked to recruit a second Dan Sullivan. The goal was to pull votes away from the incumbent by creating confusion on the ballot. Dan J. Sullivan Jr., a retired teacher from a remote community in the Alaska Panhandle, entered the race as a result of these efforts. He finished third in the nonpartisan primary held in August.
Alaska uses a ranked-choice voting system for its general election, which allows the top four candidates from the primary to advance. This structure has drawn scrutiny for adding complexity for voters. The presence of two candidates with the same name has intensified that scrutiny.
Dunleavy announced the investigation on X, calling the reported actions a disturbing new piece of evidence. He described the effort as an organized attempt to manipulate the election. The governor noted that the Alaska Division of Elections had already investigated the matter in June. He stated that the recent reporting supports the findings of that earlier inquiry.
In a statement, Dunleavy said Alaskans have a fundamental right to vote for the candidate they intend to support. He argued that deliberately tricking voters into casting ballots for someone else strikes at the integrity of the election. The Department of Public Safety will now review the facts to decide on next steps.
Peltola’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee denied involvement in the alleged conspiracy. Senior aides were named in the report as having participated in the recruitment. Despite the denials, President Donald Trump has called for Peltola to be barred from running. He has criticized the teacher’s candidacy for months, viewing it as an intentional disruption.
The general election is scheduled for November. The outcome of the Department of Public Safety’s probe will determine if additional legal proceedings are initiated before voters cast their ballots.
