Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced on Wednesday that he is ordering the Alaska Department of Public Safety to investigate a Democrat scheme to recruit spoiler candidates and confuse voters.
The announcement came after The New York Times published a report on the effort to run a candidate with the same name as Democrat Mary Peltola’s Republican opponent, Sen. Dan S. Sullivan.
The Times’ investigation found that Peltola’s team not only collaborated with others trying to recruit Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. to run for Senate, but also sought to enlist other potential spoiler candidates to dilute the incumbent’s chances of winning.
In other words, Democrats are trying to cheat, but they’re not doing a great job at hiding it.
Gov. Dunleavy, in a post on X, noted that the report revealed “an organized effort to manipulate Alaska’s elections by recruiting candidates—including one with the same name as an incumbent U.S. Senator—to deliberately confuse voters and misdirect their votes.”
He further noted that the Alaska Division of Elections “investigated these very concerns in June of this year” and that the New York Times’ report “substantially supports the Division's findings.”
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. The evidence will determine what happens next.
Alaskans have a fundamental right to vote for the candidate they actually intend to support. Deliberately tricking voters into casting their ballots for someone else strikes at the integrity of our elections.
Anyone or any organization found to have broken the law must be held accountable.
Today’s New York Times reporting reveals disturbing new evidence of an organized effort to manipulate Alaska’s elections by recruiting candidates—including one with the same name as an incumbent U.S. Senator—to deliberately confuse voters and misdirect their votes. The Alaska Division of Elections investigated these very concerns in June of this year. The new reporting substantially supports the Division’s findings. 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. The evidence will determine what happens next. Alaskans have a fundamental right to vote for the candidate they actually intend to support. Deliberately tricking voters into casting their ballots for someone else strikes at the integrity of our elections. Anyone or any organization found to have broken the law must be held accountable.
— Governor Mike Dunleavy (@GovDunleavy) October 29, 2026
The recruitment effort involved staffers in Peltola’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and Democrat operative Jerid Kurtz. They reached out to fake Sullivan, a retired teacher and former U.S. Forest Service employee, according to The New York Post.
Former Peltola campaign manager Elisa Rios told The Times that Peltola was aware of the ballot-stacking effort but not actively involved in the plot.
Alaska Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher removed Dan J. Sullivan from the ballot earlier this year, declaring him a sham candidate whose purpose was to trick voters, and the Alaska Supreme Court overruled that decision, ruling the state's authority is limited to constitutional requirements such as age and residency, not a candidate's intentions, according to the Juneau Independent.
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has ordered an investigation into allegations that operatives linked to Democrat Mary Peltola’s Senate campaign helped recruit a candidate sharing Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan’s name in an alleged effort to confuse voters. Peltola’s campaign has denied involvement. Investigators will determine whether any laws were broken and whether further legal action is warranted. For more updates, watch OAN on OAN Live or click the link in our bio.
— One America News (@OANN) October 29, 2026
Sen. Sullivan’s name is listed as the Republican incumbent, while the decoy candidate is listed with no party affiliation. The fake Sullivan insists he entered the race of his own volition.
President Donald Trump weighed in on Wednesday, calling the scheme a form of election fraud and arguing that Peltola should not be allowed to run.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) backed her colleague, saying Alaskans deserve the truth from Peltola and her campaign and describing what was revealed as a pattern of lies and cover-ups that have no place in Alaska's elections.
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