Alaska Governor Orders Probe Into Democratic Campaign's Alleged Same-Name Senate Candidate Scheme
Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy ordered the Department of Public Safety to investigate whether an alleged scheme to recruit a second candidate named Dan Sullivan to run for U.S. Senate violated state law, following a New York Times report that people connected to Democratic candidate Mary Peltola's campaign and DSCC aides tried to recruit retired teacher Dan J Sullivan as a spoiler against incumbent Republican Senator Dan S Sullivan. Peltola's campaign and the DSCC deny involvement, and Dan J Sullivan denies links to the campaign. The Alaska Supreme Court has rejected efforts to remove him from the ballot, and the Trump administration has sued to block certification if the incumbent Sullivan loses.
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Alaska Governor Won't Commit to Certifying Senate Race if Democrat Peltola Wins
Alaska Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy refused to commit to certifying the Senate election result if Democrat Mary Peltola wins, saying a criminal probe into a Democratic ballot scheme could affect whether someone is seated in the U.S. Senate. The controversy stems from a New York Times report that Democratic operatives encouraged a second 'Dan Sullivan' to run and siphon votes from GOP Senator Dan Sullivan. Trump's Justice Department is suing to block certification. Election law experts Rick Pildes and Marc Elias say certification is the governor's legal duty and courts would likely compel it, while Rick Hasen notes the Senate could theoretically postpone a swearing-in. The article argues Trump is laying groundwork to stall Peltola's seating regardless of facts and law, and warns the situation could become vicious or violent.
Alaska governor orders probe into Democratic campaign's alleged links to same-name Senate candidate
Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy, a Republican, ordered the Department of Public Safety to investigate whether an alleged scheme to recruit a second candidate named Dan Sullivan to run for US Senate violated state law, following a New York Times report. The NYT alleged that people connected to Democratic candidate Mary Peltola's campaign and senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee worked to recruit retired teacher Dan J Sullivan as a spoiler to dilute support for incumbent Republican Senator Dan S Sullivan. Peltola's campaign and the DSCC deny involvement, and Dan J Sullivan denies links to the campaign. The Alaska Supreme Court has already rejected efforts to remove him from the ballot, finding no state laws broken, and election law experts say recruiting a candidate is not a crime. The Trump administration filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block certification of the result if the incumbent Sullivan loses, and the Justice Department amended it to cite the Times reporting. The race is considered among the tightest of the midterms.
Read sourceAlaska governor orders probe into Democratic campaign's alleged same-name candidate scheme
Alaska's Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy ordered the Department of Public Safety to investigate an alleged "scheme" to "manipulate Alaska's elections," citing a New York Times report that people connected to Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola's campaign and DSCC aides tried to recruit a retired teacher named Dan Sullivan to run against incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan. Peltola's campaign and the DSCC deny involvement, and the second Dan Sullivan denies links to the campaign, saying he is running in good faith as a moderate Republican. Senator Sullivan and fellow Republicans, including Lisa Murkowski, accused Democrats of trying to confuse voters, and President Trump called for Peltola to be barred from the ballot. The Alaska Supreme Court has rejected prior Republican efforts to remove the teacher from the ballot. The tight race could delay the national picture of midterm results.
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Trump Calls for Prosecution of Alaska Democratic Senate Candidate Over Ballot Dispute
President Trump said Alaska's Democratic Senate candidate should be prosecuted over a ballot dispute involving Dan Sullivan, according to NBC News. The Alaska governor ordered a criminal investigation into the Peltola campaign, The New York Times reported, while Yahoo covered the governor's call for an investigation into the Democratic Senate candidate. CNN reported that Alaska election officials oppose the Trump Justice Department's involvement in the Senate race. Alaska Public Media, citing The New York Times, reported that the Peltola campaign and national Democrats recruited spoiler candidates, including Petersburg Sullivan. The items present competing claims and official actions without a final determination.
Read sourceTrump Calls for Prosecution of Alaska Democratic Senate Candidate Mary Peltola
Former President Donald Trump called for the prosecution of Mary Peltola, the Democratic Senate candidate in Alaska, according to reports from The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. The call follows a New York Times report alleging that Peltola's campaign and national Democrats recruited spoiler candidates, including one identified as Petersburg Sullivan, to influence Alaska's ballot. Alaska Public Media also reported on the allegations that the campaign and national Democrats recruited spoiler candidates. The reports and Trump's comments have drawn attention to the Alaska Senate race and the tactics used in the state's electoral process.
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