Alaska Governor Orders Probe After Report of $0 Spoiler Candidate

Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy ordered the Department of Public Safety to investigate the state's U.S. Senate race on Wednesday night. The directive follows a New York Times report claiming Democratic operatives recruited a non-incumbent candidate with the same name as the Republican incumbent. This move comes with three days remaining before voters head to the polls.

The core of the controversy involves two candidates named Dan Sullivan on the general election ballot. The incumbent Republican, Dan Sullivan, faces Democrat Mary Peltola, a former congresswoman. A second Dan Sullivan, a non-incumbent, also secured a place on the ballot through Alaska's top-four nonpartisan primary. Republicans argue this duplicate name is designed to confuse voters and siphon support from the incumbent.

The New York Times based its story on interviews and communications between Peltola's legal team, advisers, and senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Both the Peltola campaign and the DSCC have long denied involvement in the non-incumbent's candidacy. They reiterated those denials after the story broke. Peltola called the reporting a distraction while campaigning Wednesday.

Nate Adams, a spokesperson for the incumbent Sullivan, stated that Peltola and her team have spent months denying a scheme they were running. President Donald Trump posted online that the situation constitutes voter fraud at the highest level. His Justice Department filed an amended complaint on Thursday, citing the new reporting as expanding its options for investigation.

The Justice Department had previously asked a court to delay certification of results if the incumbent lost by a small margin. That initial legal effort cited potential voter confusion from the duplicate name. Election law experts criticized that case as weak, noting that the Constitution grants states control over their elections. The state Supreme Court ruled in June that the non-incumbent Sullivan could appear on the general election ballot.

Elaine Kamarck, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, noted that campaign trickery is standard fare. She explained that it is difficult to write laws preventing such shenanigans, especially in the internet age where information spreads quickly. Some Alaska residents compared the situation to Republican groups supporting a Democrat who is a federal prisoner in New York but remains on the state House ballot.

The ballot explicitly notes which Sullivan is the Republican incumbent. Additionally, Alaska uses ranked-choice voting in the general election. This system allows voters to rank both Sullivans and leave Peltola unranked, which some experts say reduces the potential for confusion. Voters will also decide whether to keep the state's unique election system in this same contest.

It is currently unclear which specific state laws the governor's probe will target. The non-incumbent Sullivan did not respond to requests for comment from Alaska Public Media, though he has previously stated it was his decision to run. The investigation will determine if criminal charges or civil action are warranted under state law.