Alaska governor orders probe of Senate race after NYT report

Two men named Dan Sullivan now appear on the ballot for Alaska's U.S. Senate seat, a development that has triggered an official state investigation less than a week before Election Day. The number of candidates with that name stands at two, creating a specific ballot line for the Republican incumbent and another for a challenger whose campaign origins are now under scrutiny.

Governor Mike Dunleavy announced on Wednesday night that he is directing the Department of Public Safety to examine whether the situation violates Alaska law. The investigation will determine if criminal charges or civil action are warranted in response to the controversy.

A New York Times report detailed communications between attorneys and advisers for Democrat Mary Peltola and senior officials at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. The story alleged that Democratic operatives worked to recruit the non-incumbent Sullivan. His presence on the ballot could siphon support from the Republican incumbent, a strategy Republicans have long suspected.

Peltola, a former congresswoman seeking to flip the seat, called the report a distraction while campaigning on Wednesday. Both her campaign and the DSCC reiterated their long-standing denial of involvement in the other Sullivan's candidacy.

The non-incumbent Sullivan did not respond to requests for comment from Alaska Public Media after the story broke. He has previously stated that running for Senate was his own decision.

President Donald Trump amplified the controversy in an online post, labeling the situation voter fraud at the highest level. His Justice Department had already sought court intervention last week to delay certification if the incumbent loses by a small margin. The legal filing cited potential voter confusion caused by the duplicate name on the ballot.

Election law experts criticized the initial Justice Department case as weak, noting that the Constitution grants states primary control over elections. However, Justice Department officials said on Thursday that the new reporting expands their options for investigating the race. The department filed an amended complaint.

The state Supreme Court ruled in June that the non-incumbent Sullivan could appear on the general election ballot. He advanced to the fall vote after finishing in the top four in Alaska's nonpartisan primary. State officials had already probed the dual candidacies before the current investigation began.

Elaine Kamarck, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, described such political maneuvers as standard fare. She noted that the internet makes it easy to spread information about campaign tricks and corrections to those tricks. Some voters in Alaska compared the current reporting to Republican spending on a Democrat who is a federal prisoner but appears on the U.S. House ballot.

The ballot itself notes which Sullivan is the Republican incumbent. Because Alaska uses ranked-choice voting for the general election, voters who are confused could rank both Sullivans and leave Peltola unranked. Voters will also decide whether to keep the state's unique election system on the same ballot.