In the closing days of a midterm contest that could help decide who controls Congress, an Alaska governor has turned a familiar American anxiety about names and ballots into a question of conduct and intent. Mike Dunleavy has ordered state investigators to examine whether an alleged Democratic effort to recruit a second candidate named Dan Sullivan crossed legal lines, a claim drawn from a New York Times account that the Democrats firmly deny. Yet the scaffolding beneath the accusation looks thin: persuading a person to seek office is not in itself a crime, and the courts have already held tha
Alaska governor orders probe into alleged Democratic link to second 'Dan Sullivan' Senate candidate
Convincing somebody to run for office is not a crime
Mark
Start with the basics. What did the governor actually order?
Mimi
He told the Department of Public Safety to investigate whether the alleged scheme violated Alaska law, and whether criminal charges or civil action are warranted. He cited the New York Times reporting.
Mark
Which law?
Mimi
He didn't say. That's one of the notable gaps in the announcement.
Luke
And worth keeping the sourcing straight. The scheme itself is the Times's account, based on text messages and 12 interviews. The BBC hasn't verified it, and the Peltola campaign and the DSCC both deny involvement.
Mark
What about the second Sullivan himself?
Mimi
Dan J. Sullivan is a retired teacher in a remote fishing village. He denies any link to the Peltola campaign, and the campaign says it didn't encourage him to run.
Mark
Do the legal experts think this goes anywhere?
Mimi
Mostly no. Justin Levitt said persuading someone to run isn't a crime, and Ruth Greenwood pointed to his constitutional right to be on the ballot. The state Supreme Court had already said no state law was broken by his candidacy.
Luke
Though those experts are assessing the law as currently described. Whether the investigation turns up something else, like conduct beyond recruitment, is simply unknown. The reporting doesn't say.
Mark
And the federal lawsuit?
Mimi
The justice department amended it to cite the Times story. Rick Pildes called the theory frivolous, and Alaska officials want it dismissed.
Luke
Those are critics' judgments, not a court ruling. No judge has decided yet.
Il Polso
- A governor's social media post has set a state investigation in motion over an alleged plot to recruit a same-name spoiler candidate.
- Republicans are pressing hard, with the senator demanding Peltola "come clean" and the president calling for her to be barred.
- Democrats deny any involvement, and the candidate at the center of the claim says he has no links to the Peltola campaign.
- Legal experts say the Alaska Supreme Court has already rejected removal and that recruiting a candidate is not a crime, leaving the probe on shaky ground.
- A federal lawsuit seeking to block certification is being amended with the same reporting, while election officials ask a court to throw it out.
- With the race among the tightest in the midterms, the dispute could delay final results well past Tuesday's vote.
In the closing days of a midterm contest that could help decide who controls Congress, an Alaska governor has turned a familiar American anxiety about names and ballots into a question of conduct and intent. Mike Dunleavy has ordered state investigators to examine whether an alleged Democratic effort to recruit a second candidate named Dan Sullivan crossed legal lines, a claim drawn from a New York Times account that the Democrats firmly deny. Yet the scaffolding beneath the accusation looks thin: persuading a person to seek office is not in itself a crime, and the courts have already held that the man on the ballot has every right to be there. What remains is a contest where suspicion may travel faster than the law can follow.
Alaska's Republican governor, Mike Dunleavy, has ordered the state Department of Public Safety to investigate whether an alleged scheme to place a second Dan Sullivan on the US Senate ballot broke state law. He announced the order on X, pointing to a New York Times report, but did not say which laws he had in mind or name Democratic candidate Mary Peltola's campaign.
The Times reported that people tied to Peltola's campaign and senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee tried to recruit a retired schoolteacher, Dan J. Sullivan, as a spoiler who could split votes away from the incumbent Republican senator, Dan S Sullivan. Democrats deny any involvement, and the second Sullivan, who lives in a remote fishing village, has denied any links to Peltola's team. The BBC has not independently verified the Times reporting.
Republican anger has been fierce. The senator called it a scandal of the highest order, Lisa Murkowski spoke of a "pattern of lies," and President Trump has urged that Peltola be barred. Because Alaska uses ranked-choice voting, a confused voter could in theory rank both men, which is why the matter has become so charged in a race analysts see as one of the tightest in the country.
The legal ground, however, looks unsteady. The Alaska Supreme Court has already rejected Republican efforts to remove the second Sullivan, and experts say recruiting someone to run is not a crime, even one who shares an incumbent's name. The federal lawsuit, which seeks to block certification if the incumbent loses, has drawn sharp criticism, with one scholar calling its theory frivolous. Alaska officials have asked a federal court to dismiss it.
As the midterms approach their decisive day, the question is no longer only who will win Alaska, but whether the dispute will hold up the final count and how much of the accusation will survive scrutiny.
Alaska's Republican governor, Mike Dunleavy, has directed the state's Department of Public Safety to investigate whether an alleged "scheme" to put a second man named Dan Sullivan on the US Senate ballot broke state law. He announced the order in a post on X, saying he was responding to a New York Times story. He did not say which laws he had in mind, and his statement did not name the campaign of Democratic candidate Mary Peltola.
The Times reported that people connected to Peltola's campaign, along with senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, worked to recruit a retired schoolteacher, Dan J. Sullivan, to enter the race. According to the paper, this was part of a wider push to find would-be spoiler candidates who could dilute support for the incumbent Republican senator, Dan S Sullivan. The Times said it had seen text messages and interviewed 12 people who took part in the plan, were told about it, or were prospective candidates the team tried to recruit. The BBC has not independently verified that reporting.
Peltola's campaign, Alaskans for Mary, says it has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign. The DSCC, through spokesperson Monica Robinson, said it is not involved with Dan J. Sullivan. Sullivan himself, who lives in a remote fishing village, has denied any links to the Peltola campaign. Dunleavy wrote that the Times reporting supported findings the state Division of Elections reached earlier this year, and that the department should determine whether criminal charges or civil action are warranted. "The evidence will determine what happens next," he wrote.
The ballot will list the two men as Dan S Sullivan, described as the incumbent Republican senator, and Daniel J Sullivan Jr. Alaska uses ranked-choice voting, so a confused voter could in theory rank both. The race is regarded by analysts as one of the tightest in the midterms, which are held on Tuesday and will decide control of Congress.
Republican reaction has been sharp. Senator Sullivan told Fox News on Wednesday night that Peltola should "come clean," calling it a scandal of the highest order. Fellow Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski accused the Democratic campaign of a "pattern of lies," and President Donald Trump has called for Peltola to be barred. In Truth Social posts he repeated his endorsement of Dan S Sullivan, writing that "Dan is a GREAT man, has ALWAYS delivered for Alaska." Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Fox News: "They are cheating, let's call it what it is."
The legal footing looks shaky, though. The Alaska Supreme Court has already rejected Republican efforts to remove the second Sullivan, finding that no state law was broken by his running. Election law expert Justin Levitt of Loyola Law School, a former justice department official, said that convincing somebody to run for office is not a crime, even if the person shares a name with an incumbent. Ruth Greenwood of Harvard Law School added that the second Sullivan has a constitutional right to be on the ballot. Experts said it was unlikely the reporting would dislodge him, and it remained unclear whether any state law had been violated.
The federal front is similar. The Trump administration filed a lawsuit last week seeking to prevent certification of the result if Trump-backed Sullivan loses, arguing that two Sullivans on the ballot could confuse voters. On Wednesday the justice department amended the suit to cite significant sections of the Times story and Dunleavy's announcement. Rick Pildes of New York University told the BBC the legal arguments were a "frivolous theory," noting the suit cites no specific provision to enforce, only a general preamble from a sweeping voting law. Alaska election officials have asked a federal court to dismiss it, saying the complaint has no legal basis.
Peltola paused campaigning earlier this week after she and her family sustained minor injuries in a car crash. With the dispute unresolved, it threatens to delay the full national picture after Tuesday's vote, and the outcome bears on the last two years of Trump's presidency. Watch whether the state probe or the federal lawsuit gains any traction.
Citazioni salienti
The evidence will determine what happens next.— Gov. Mike Dunleavy
The Alaskans for Mary campaign has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign.— Peltola campaign statement
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