Alaska governor orders probe into Democratic campaign's alleged links to same-name candidate

What the report says

Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy has ordered an investigation into what he called a possible scheme to manipulate the state’s elections, acting after a New York Times report about an apparent effort tied to the state’s closely watched U.S. Senate race. According to the BBC’s account of the report, Democrats and people connected to the campaign of Democratic candidate Mary Peltola were accused of helping recruit a second candidate with the same name as Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan.

The alleged plan centered on a retired teacher named Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., who lives in a remote fishing village and has denied coordinating with Peltola’s campaign. Peltola’s team and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee have also denied wrongdoing. The BBC noted that it has not independently verified the New York Times’ reporting.

The dispute matters because Alaska uses ranked-choice voting, and both men with the Sullivan name are expected to appear on the ballot in a race that analysts view as one of the closest in the 2026 midterms. Republicans, including Sen. Dan Sullivan and President Donald Trump, have accused Democrats of trying to confuse voters. Previous legal efforts to remove the second Sullivan from the ballot were rejected by the Alaska Supreme Court.

Dunleavy said he had directed the Department of Public Safety to determine whether laws were broken and whether civil or criminal action is warranted. The outcome could affect an already contentious race that may help decide control of Congress.