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

29 October 2026, 10: 14 GMT. Updated 1 hour ago.

Key points

• Senator Dan Sullivan informed Fox News on Wednesday night that Peltola should "come clean" and described it as a scandal of the highest order.
• The Republican governor of Alaska has ordered an investigation into an alleged "scheme" which led to two Dan Sullivans standing in the state's US Senate race.
• His fellow Republican senator in Alaska, Lisa Murkowksi, accused the Democratic campaign of engaging in a "pattern of lies".
• But Dunleavy's statement, which did not name the Peltola campaign, remarked the NYT reporting had backed findings by the state Division of Elections earlier this year.
• Dan Sullivan, the incumbent Republican senator running for re-election, and allies have accused the Democrats of trying to confuse voters.

Notably, the Republican governor of Alaska has ordered an investigation into an alleged "scheme" which led to two Dan Sullivans standing in the state's US Senate race.

Governor Mike Dunleavy remarked he was responding to a New York Times (NYT) story, external which stated the team of Democratic candidate Mary Peltola worked with individuals who tried to recruit spoiler candidates in the Senate race.

For context, the governor's post on X remarked he would investigate "whether this scheme violated Alaska's laws". He did not say which laws he had in mind.

Dan Sullivan, the incumbent Republican senator running for re-election, and allies have accused the Democrats of trying to confuse voters. Peltola's team deny any wrongdoing.

They say they did not encourage the second Dan Sullivan, a retired teacher who lives in a remote fishing village, to stand. He has denied any links with the Peltola campaign.

Meanwhile, the ballot paper is due to list the two men as Dan S Sullivan. This person will be described as the incumbent Republican senator, and Daniel J Sullivan Jr.

His fellow Republican senator in Alaska, Lisa Murkowksi, accused the Democratic campaign of engaging in a "pattern of lies". President Donald Trump has pressed Peltola to be barred.

Meanwhile, the Alaska race is considered by analysts to be one of the tightest of the upcoming US midterm elections. It will decide which party controls Congress. Americans head to the polls nationwide on Tuesday.

Previous efforts by the Republicans to remove that Sullivan, the retired teacher, from the ballot have already been rejected by the Alaska Supreme Court which discovered no state laws had been broken by him running in the race.

In practice, the Trump administration filed a legal case last week aimed at preventing the certification of the result if the Trump-backed Sullivan loses, arguing that the presence of both Sullivans on the ballot could confuse voters. Some legal experts were sceptical they would have a case, given the Alaska court ruling.

"I am therefore directing the Department of Public Safety to investigate whether this scheme violated Alaska's laws and whether criminal charges or civil action are warranted, " he wrote. "The evidence will determine what happens next."

As well as senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), worked to try to recruit Sullivan the schoolteacher to stand in the Senate race, the NYT report alleged that individuals connected to Peltola's campaign.

This was part of a broader effort to encourage other would-be "spoiler" candidates to enter the race and dilute the backing of the sitting Republican senator, the newspaper noted.

For context, the paper remarked it had seen text messages and interviewed 12 residents who who participated in or were informed of the plan, or were would-be candidates who the team tried to recruit. The BBC has not independently verified the NYT's reporting.

In a series of Truth Social posts, Trump too pointed to the report and created a variety of allegations against Peltola. This person he argued should be removed from the ballot. He repeated his endorsement for Dan S Sullivan, the incumbent Republican senator, writing: "Dan is a GREAT man, has ALWAYS delivered for Alaska."

Alaska's ranked-choice voting system means that voters could select both Sullivans if they are unsure at the ballot box.

In practice, the battle threatens to delay the full picture of nationwide results after the midterm elections. The ultimate question of which party controls Congress will have a significant bearing on the remaining two years of Trump's presidency. Trump administration sues to block certification of upcoming Alaska election. Alaska's Democratic Senate candidate pauses midterms campaigning after car crash.

For context, a statement from an Alaskans for Mary spokesperson, written prior to Dunleavy's call for an investigation, remarked: Mary secured in this race since Alaskans deserve a champion who is fighting to lower their costs and put Alaska first, and no tweet or threat from any DC politician will keep her away from that fight.

"The Alaskans for Mary campaign has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign."

In an official note given to US media, the DSCC likewise denied that it had been involved in any such scheme.

Peltola earlier this week paused campaigning activities so as to recover after she and her family sustained "minor injuries" in a car crash.

Taken together, the developments around alaska governor orders probe into Democratic campaign' s alleged links to same point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.