Alaska governor investigates alleged bid to recruit rival Dan Sullivan
Developing story first seen 50 minutes ago
Governor Mike Dunleavy has ordered Alaska’s Department of Public Safety to investigate whether an alleged effort to recruit a second Dan Sullivan for the Senate race broke state law. He said a newspaper report supported findings by the state Division of Elections, and that evidence would determine whether criminal charges or civil action were warranted.
The report alleges people connected to Democrat Mary Peltola’s campaign and national party aides tried to recruit a retired teacher named Dan Sullivan to draw support from Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan. Peltola’s campaign denies wrongdoing, and the teacher says he is running in good faith; the BBC has not independently verified the report. The two men are expected to appear on the ballot under different full names, and Alaska’s ranked-choice system allows voters to select both. Earlier Republican efforts to remove the teacher from the ballot were rejected by the state Supreme Court.
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In short
- Alaska has ordered an investigation into an alleged Senate race recruitment scheme.
- The report names Peltola campaign associates and national Democratic aides.
- A court rejected earlier efforts to remove the second Sullivan from the ballot.
How this story developed
- 4 minutes ago Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy has ordered an investigation into whether an alleged effort to recruit a second Dan Sullivan for the Senate race broke state law.
- 8 minutes ago Governor Mike Dunleavy has ordered Alaska’s Department of Public Safety to investigate whether an alleged effort to recruit a second Dan Sullivan for the Senate race broke state law.
Where outlets differ
Centre outlets 1
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Right-leaning outlets 1
- Alaska's governor orders investigation after NYT report on alleged Dem-linked Senate election schemeFox News
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Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
An investigation is justified if there is credible evidence that people tried to recruit a candidate to confuse voters or divert support, since such conduct could undermine fair elections and may breach state law. Establishing the facts through a formal inquiry can protect public confidence while allowing any potential wrongdoing to be assessed on evidence rather than political claims.
The case against
The inquiry could be seen as politically charged when the underlying report has not been independently verified, the campaign and teacher deny the allegation, and courts have already rejected efforts to remove him from the ballot. A candidate’s right to run in good faith should be protected, and official scrutiny should not become a way to intimidate political opponents or cast suspicion before the facts are established.
Explained simply
Alaska’s Senate race is a contest for one of the state’s two seats in the US Senate, where senators serve six-year terms. Republican Dan Sullivan is the incumbent, and Democrat Mary Peltola is seeking to defeat him.
A retired teacher named Dan Sullivan is also running as a moderate Republican. His name resembles the incumbent’s, but the state Supreme Court rejected attempts to remove him from the ballot, and voters can rank more than one candidate under Alaska’s system.
The governor’s investigation concerns allegations about how the teacher was approached, which he and Peltola’s campaign deny. It will consider whether any state law was broken and whether legal action is justified.
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Originally published by BBC World as “Alaska governor orders probe into Democratic campaign’s alleged links to same-name candidate”.