Alaska Governor Orders Investigation, Justice Department Issues Dozens of Subpoenas Over Alleged Recruitment of Second Dan Sullivan in Senate Race

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy directed the state Department of Public Safety on Wednesday to investigate whether Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola’s campaign and aides with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee violated Alaska law by recruiting a second candidate named Dan Sullivan to appear on the ballot against Republican incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan.

Dunleavy’s statement, posted on social media, cited reporting by The New York Times published that day. The Times, drawing on interviews with roughly a dozen people, text messages, and related documents, described an effort that began in 2025 in which staff connected to the Peltola campaign, campaign lawyers, and senior DSCC aides sought out Alaskans named Dan Sullivan and encouraged one to run. The goal, according to the reporting, was to create a spoiler candidate who could draw votes away from the incumbent in Alaska’s ranked-choice system on a four-candidate general-election ballot. The effort was internally referred to in some communications as a ballot composition project. Former Peltola campaign manager Elisa Rios, who was fired in August, told the Times that Peltola was “definitely aware” of the recruitment activity though not personally directing it; she later contacted the paper and sought to retract her statements.

The candidate who ultimately entered the race is Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired teacher from the Southeast Alaska community of Petersburg. He registered as a Republican near the filing deadline, advanced from the August open primary with about 2.5 percent of the vote, and remains on the November 3 general-election ballot. On the ballot he appears as “Sullivan, Daniel J. Jr.” with no party designation, while the incumbent is listed as “Sullivan, Dan S. (Registered Republican) Incumbent.” Sullivan Jr. has stated that he decided to run independently because of disagreement with the senator’s record and that he was not recruited by Democrats. He has previously said he voted for Peltola in past elections.

In June, Alaska Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher removed Sullivan Jr. from the primary ballot after concluding that a preponderance of the evidence showed his name and party affiliation were chosen to potentially confuse voters. A superior court judge reversed that decision, and the Alaska Supreme Court upheld the reversal, finding that state law does not impose a good-faith requirement on candidates seeking office. Dunleavy said the new Times reporting “substantially supports” the Division of Elections’ earlier findings. He wrote that Alaskans “have a fundamental right to vote for the candidate they actually intend to support” and that deliberately tricking voters “strikes at the integrity of our elections.” He directed the Department of Public Safety to determine whether the alleged scheme violated state law and whether criminal charges or civil action are warranted, adding that “the evidence will determine what happens next.” The Alaska Bureau of Investigation has opened an investigation into the conduct outlined in the Times article.

Concurrently, the U.S. Department of Justice accelerated an ongoing criminal investigation into the second Sullivan’s candidacy. According to multiple sources familiar with the matter, federal prosecutors issued more than 40 new grand jury subpoenas and document-preservation notices to key targets by Wednesday evening, with additional subpoenas expected. Recipients include the campaigns of Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. and Mary Peltola. The investigation, which had previously issued some subpoenas and conducted witness interviews, is examining whether the recruitment activity violated federal conspiracy statutes. Attorney General Todd Blanche described the candidacy and recruitment efforts as “cheating” and “fraud.” President Donald Trump has publicly called for the criminal prosecution of Peltola and Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.

Separately, the Justice Department filed a civil lawsuit last week seeking to block certification of the Alaska Senate results if Sen. Dan S. Sullivan loses and if votes cast for Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. would have been sufficient, under ranked-choice counting, to change the outcome. Alaska election officials have moved to dismiss the suit, arguing it lacks legal basis. The Alaska Supreme Court’s earlier ruling on ballot eligibility remains in effect. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer has requested transcribed interviews with Rios and Democratic operative Jerid Kurtz, who was described in the Times reporting as involved in locating the second Sullivan.

Peltola’s campaign has stated that it “has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign.” The DSCC has said it was “not involved with Dan J. Sullivan” or any other Republican candidate. The race is viewed as competitive and one that could help determine control of the U.S. Senate. Early voting is underway; more than 61,000 ballots had been cast in Alaska by midweek.