Alaska governor orders probe into Mary Peltola's Senate campaign over second 'Dan Sullivan' on the ballot
Days before the midterms, Gov. Dunleavy ordered a state inquiry into claims Peltola's team recruited a same-named candidate. She calls it a distraction.
At a glance
- Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a Republican, told the Department of Public Safety on October 28, 2026 to investigate whether Mary Peltola's campaign broke state law.
- Reports say people connected to her campaign helped recruit retired teacher Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., who shares a name with Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan.
- Peltola calls the affair a distraction; her campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee deny involvement.
- The order came a day after President Trump called for prosecution; the election is on Tuesday, November 3.
Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy has ordered a state investigation into Democrat Mary Peltola's US Senate campaign, following reports that people around it helped recruit a second candidate named Dan Sullivan to split the vote of Republican Senator Dan Sullivan. Dunleavy, a Republican, posted the order on Wednesday night, October 28, 2026, six days before the November 3 election. Peltola and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee deny taking part in any such scheme.
The order tells the Alaska Department of Public Safety to examine whether the alleged plan broke state law, and whether criminal charges or civil action are warranted. Dunleavy said the allegations strike "at the integrity of our elections".
Two names, one ballot
| Sen. Dan S. Sullivan | Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Republican incumbent | No party affiliation |
| Ballot label | "Registered Republican", "incumbent" | No party label |
| Background | Two-term senator | Retired teacher from Petersburg |
| Legal history this year | Not challenged | Removed by the state elections chief, restored by the Supreme Court |
The controversy broke open after a newspaper investigation this week. According to those reports, interviews, text messages and documents gathered for a possible lawsuit showed that operatives and aides linked to the Peltola campaign and national Democrats worked to bring in candidates who could draw Republican support. The same reports noted that this practice, known as ballot stacking, is common and generally legal.
Alaska's Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher, a Dunleavy appointee, had removed the retired teacher from the ballot earlier this year, calling him a sham candidate whose purpose was to trick voters. The state Supreme Court reversed that, ruling that a candidate's purpose to confuse or mislead was not a valid reason to reject him; state authority is limited to requirements such as age and residency. Dunleavy says the new reports "substantially" support the division's original findings.
"Another distraction", says Peltola
Peltola, a former congresswoman, was campaigning in Soldotna when she addressed the order. "This is just another distraction," she said in a video, calling it a diversion.
Why Washington is involved
President Donald Trump said this week that those responsible "should be prosecuted", and Vice President JD Vance backed an investigation. The Justice Department has already sued, seeking to stop Alaska from certifying the Senate race if Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. stays on the ballot; one account of the filing says it would apply if Sen. Sullivan loses by fewer votes than the second Sullivan receives. Alaska's Department of Law argues that Washington has no authority to intervene in a state election.
Election law scholar Rick Hasen has said the federal suit appears to lack standing, and that criminal theories based on a candidate's motives are legally doubtful. The seat could help decide which party controls the Senate, which helps explain the attention on a state with fewer than 800,000 people.
What Alaska voters need to know
- Both names are valid. Votes cast for either Sullivan count for that person, so voters should check the party and incumbent labels on the ballot.
- Ranked choice applies. Alaska's general election uses ranked-choice voting, so a voter's lower preferences can matter if no candidate wins a majority in the first count.
- Early voting is under way, and Election Day is Tuesday, November 3.
The calendar from here
The probe has no published timeline and no charges have been filed. The federal case could come to a head after the vote, if the margin is close. Alaska's results often take days to finalise because absentee ballots keep arriving after Election Day and ranked-choice counting runs later.
Questions people are asking
Why are there two Dan Sullivans on the Alaska ballot?
Retired Petersburg teacher Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. is running alongside Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. State officials removed him as a sham candidate, but the Alaska Supreme Court ruled that an intent to confuse voters was not valid grounds to reject him.
Is ballot stacking illegal?
Recruiting extra candidates to split a rival's vote is common in US politics and is generally legal. Dunleavy's order asks whether this case broke Alaska law and whether criminal charges or civil action are warranted.
