Alaska Officials Reject DOJ Push To Delay Certification As Sullivan Probe Opens

Alaska election officials said Thursday that a New York Times report about efforts to recruit a Senate candidate named like the Republican incumbent does not change the state's opposition to a Trump administration lawsuit that could delay certification of the race.

Sam Curtis, a spokesperson for the Alaska Department of Law, said the report confirms the initial concerns election officials had about Daniel J. Sullivan, a retired teacher, but that it has no impact on the current litigation. "Placing candidates on the ballot is a matter of state law, not federal law," Curtis said, noting the Alaska Supreme Court has already ruled that Daniel J. Sullivan will appear on the ballot.

The Justice Department cites a federal law in the case that does not dictate what candidates can run and does not authorize the relief the department seeks, Curtis said. "The Division is bound by the Alaska Supreme Court's order and is committed to running a fair election and assisting voters as needed."

The New York Times report published Wednesday, a week before Election Day, described Democratic efforts to recruit a candidate sharing the name of Sen. Dan S. Sullivan. Mary Peltola, the former at-large House member and a top Senate Democratic recruit, has denied any involvement in Daniel J. Sullivan's campaign. Republicans have watched the race closely: President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance have both traveled to Alaska in recent weeks. Trump has complained about the two Sullivans for months and said he directed the Justice Department lawsuit last week. After the Times report, he wrote on Truth Social that Peltola "should be removed from the Ballot and prosecuted," adding, "So should the FAKE Dan Sullivan. Nothing else will do!"

Sen. Sullivan's campaign accused Peltola of spending months "gaslighting Alaskans." Speaking with Fox News' Sean Hannity on Wednesday night, the incumbent said, "I am pressing my opponent to come clean. She's been lying for over a year. She's run a campaign about supposed corruption. She's the corrupt one working with DC insiders to trick Alaskans."

Attorney General Todd Blanche, also on Fox News, pointed to the Times report as justification for the department's federal lawsuit. Asked whether any illegal conduct gave the DOJ authority to intervene in an election run by states, Blanche could not say. The Justice Department told a federal judge Wednesday that it wants to seek answers and evidence from Peltola's campaign about the report and what it called a "conspiracy."

Late Wednesday, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a Republican, said he was ordering an investigation into whether criminal charges or civil action should follow the alleged Democratic efforts. "Deliberately tricking voters into casting their ballots for someone else strikes at the integrity of our elections," Dunleavy wrote on X. "Anyone or any organization found to have broken the law must be held accountable."

Some Democrats have noted Republican groups also boosted spoiler candidates. A super PAC funded by GOP groups attacked Peltola in the primary while promoting a lesser-known Democrat and a Green Party candidate. "This is basically a more extreme version of what the parties do all the time, which is try to find a candidate on the other side who can siphon votes away from the major party competitor," election law specialist Rick Hasen told CNN. "And, you know, you can't really hold someone responsible for impure motives."