Dunleavy Orders Investigation Into Peltola Campaign Over Sullivan Name Strategy

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued an order on Thursday to investigate the U.S. Senate campaign of Democrat Mary Peltola. The directive follows reports that her team recruited a candidate with the same name as Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan to split the vote.

Dunleavy, a Republican, posted the order on social media overnight. He cited reporting by The New York Times that alleged an organized effort to manipulate the election. The governor stated that the evidence showed the recruitment of candidates, including one sharing an incumbent's name, was designed to deliberately confuse voters and misdirect their ballots.

"Deliberately tricking voters into casting their ballots for someone else strikes at the integrity of our elections," Dunleavy wrote. He added that the new reporting substantially supports earlier findings by the state’s elections board.

The move comes a day after President Donald Trump called for the criminal prosecution of Peltola and her staff. The president previously directed his Department of Justice to sue to block the certification of the race. His goal was to prevent Alaska from certifying a win for Peltola if Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. remained on the ballot.

Peltola, a former congresswoman, did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment on Thursday. During a campaign stop in Soldotna, she dismissed the New York Times report as a distraction. "This is just another distraction. It’s another diversion," she said in a video posted online. "This is all stuff to sell newspapers. This is all stuff to get subscriptions."

A state elections official had ruled in the spring that Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired schoolteacher from Petersburg, was ineligible for the primary ballot. The official concluded his candidacy was filed to confuse or mislead voters. The Alaska Supreme Court later reversed that decision, ruling he was qualified to run. Sullivan has denied acting at the behest of Democrats, telling reporters in June he had "Zero, none, zilch" contact with Peltola's team.

Alaskan voters will see Dan S. Sullivan identified as a registered Republican and incumbent. Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. will appear on the ballot without a party affiliation.