Alaska governor investigates alleged bid to recruit rival Dan Sullivan
Developing story first seen 2 hours 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
- 1 hour 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.
- 1 hour 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.
Full account
Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy has ordered a state investigation into allegations that Democratic-linked operatives tried to recruit candidates to affect the outcome of the US Senate contest. He said a recent New York Times report added evidence to concerns previously examined by the state Division of Elections. Dunleavy directed the Department of Public Safety to assess whether Alaska law had been broken and whether criminal or civil action might be appropriate. He did not specify which laws could apply, and said the evidence would guide any next steps.
The dispute centres on the presence of two candidates with similar names on the ballot: incumbent Republican Senator Dan S Sullivan and Daniel J Sullivan Jr, a retired teacher from a remote fishing community who is standing without party affiliation. The Times reported that people connected to Mary Peltola’s campaign, alongside senior Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee aides, had tried to persuade the second Sullivan and other potential candidates to enter the race. The alleged aim, according to the paper, was to draw support away from the incumbent and improve Peltola’s prospects. Both the Peltola campaign and the retired teacher have denied that he was recruited by her campaign; he has also rejected claims of a connection to it.
Senator Sullivan and other Republicans have portrayed the allegations as an attempt to mislead voters. In a television interview, he called on Peltola to address the claims, while Senator Lisa Murkowski accused the Democratic campaign of a pattern of dishonesty. President Donald Trump has called for Peltola to be barred from the contest. The ballot is to distinguish the candidates by their fuller names and descriptions, including Sullivan’s status as the incumbent Republican senator.
The allegations have also prompted legal action at federal level. The Trump administration filed a case seeking to prevent certification of the result if the incumbent loses, arguing that votes intended for one candidate could have been cast for the other. The Alaska Supreme Court had already rejected earlier Republican efforts to remove the retired teacher from the ballot, finding no state law barred him from running. Some legal experts have questioned the prospects of the federal case in light of that ruling. The Senate race is viewed as highly competitive and could affect which party controls Congress after the midterm elections.
The outlets describe the governor’s move with different emphases. The first account presents it as a response to the Times story and notes that Dunleavy did not name Peltola’s campaign or identify the laws under scrutiny. The second foregrounds his claims that the reporting showed an organised effort to manipulate the vote and gives more space to his statements about voter rights and accountability. It also supplies the federal lawsuit’s date and details the allegation that votes for the similarly named candidate could change the result. Both reports attribute the central claims to the Times and record denials by Peltola’s campaign.
Where outlets differ
From the full account, which is AI-written from the sources:
The first report says the New York Times account supported findings from the Division of Elections earlier in the year; the second describes the new reporting as substantially supporting the division’s prior findings and quotes Dunleavy’s characterisation of it as evidence of an organised effort.
The second report gives more detail on the Department of Public Safety investigation, the federal lawsuit filed on 22 October, and Senator Sullivan’s interview. The first provides more context on the Alaska Supreme Court’s rejection of ballot-removal efforts and notes that some legal experts doubt the federal case.
The first report explicitly says Dunleavy did not name the Peltola campaign in his statement and notes that the retired teacher denied links to it. The second focuses more heavily on the campaign’s alleged role and quotes the governor’s broader comments on election integrity.
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
Only here: orders, investigation, linked, senate, election
Every side used: alaska, governor, alleged
Headline columns compared word for word; nothing in them is AI-written.
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”.