10
Loading video...
By Steven Frank
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Federal authorities have sent a “significant surge” of law enforcement resources to Alaska as they investigate allegations that political operatives recruited a Senate candidate with the same name as Republican incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan in an effort to confuse voters at the ballot box.
U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman said Friday that parallel criminal and civil investigations were underway, with FBI personnel and several attorneys from his office assigned to the matter just days ahead of Election Day.
“There is a surge in FBI resources as well as resources in this office to make sure that the election integrity remains in place,” Heyman said at a news conference.
Read More on Politics
Heyman said authorities had been investigating the matter for several months, but that recent reporting by The New York Times had produced additional information and accelerated the federal response.
“I can say that it is serious now,” Heyman said. “And it’s certainly got our attention.”
Heyman stressed that investigators would determine whether any laws had actually been broken.
“We’re not escalating anything except to the extent that a new article came out,” Heyman said when asked why federal authorities were publicly discussing the investigation so close to the election. “This has been going on sort of quietly for several months, with the intent not to escalate anything.”
But he added that when allegations emerge that “can go to the heart of the election integrity, we are going to take it seriously.”
Heyman also said Friday that his previous recusal from the matter had been rescinded and that he was now leading the effort locally. He said he had not discussed the investigations with the White House.
“Every Alaskan deserves a fair election, and they’re going to get one,” he said. “Anyone who tries to illegally deceive voters and interfere with the election will answer for it.”
Investigation Into Two Dan Sullivans on Alaska Ballot: What We Know
The certification dispute centers on Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired teacher who shares a name with the incumbent GOP senator.
Earlier this year, the Alaska Division of Elections concluded that Sullivan Jr. had filed his candidacy for the purpose of confusing or misleading voters. A Superior Court judge reversed the decision, finding that election officials lacked authority to impose the "good faith" candidacy requirement they had used. The Alaska Supreme Court subsequently allowed Sullivan Jr. to remain on the ballot.
The controversy escalated after the Times reported this week that operatives aligned with Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola allegedly sought to recruit candidates into the race, including Sullivan Jr., as part of an effort to divide support for the incumbent.
Heyman described the allegations on Friday as “deeply troubling.”
“The Justice Department takes every allegation of this sort extremely seriously when it comes to voter corruption or disrupting the integrity of the election process,” Heyman said, adding that the new information had resulted in “a significant surge of law enforcement assets to Alaska.”
Matthew Schlegel, the special agent in charge of the FBI office serving Alaska, said the investigation was active and authorities would “quickly and aggressively follow the facts wherever they lead.”
Heyman declined to identify potential crimes, targets or subjects and emphasized that investigators had not determined that a crime had occurred.
“I’m not making any assumptions on whether a crime has been committed or not,” he said. “That’s why we are conducting that thorough investigation.”
The Justice Department is separately pursuing a civil case seeking to preserve ballots while officials determine whether voters were misled or whether votes for Sullivan Jr. could affect the outcome. Heyman stressed that the department was not asking the court to declare a winner or loser or change any votes.
...
How Have the Candidates Responded?
Peltola has denied involvement in efforts to deceive voters. Her campaign previously told Newsweek: "The Alaskans for Mary campaign has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign."
In a court filing Thursday, Peltola's campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) called the Justice Department's accusation that they had misled the court "nonsense."
Peltola's campaign and the DSCC argued that the Times' allegations did not fix what they described as separate legal flaws in the Justice Department's lawsuit seeking to block certification. They called the allegations "a distraction from DOJ's meritless claims" and said they provided "no basis for DOJ's demand that the Court enjoin certification."
Senator Sullivan's campaign, meanwhile, has accused Peltola's operation of misleading Alaskans.
"Mary Peltola and her campaign have spent months gaslighting Alaskans, denying a scheme they were running all along," campaign spokesperson Nate Adams previously told Newsweek.
Sullivan Jr. has maintained that he entered independently because of dissatisfaction with the incumbent.
"It's a free country," he said after Alaska courts restored him to the ballot earlier this year, according to Courthouse News Service. He added that he hoped people knew "who and what they are voting for" but that "choice is good."
Newsweek has contacted the campaigns of Peltola and Senator Dan Sullivan and the DSCC on Friday for comment.
Related Story
Mary Peltola Campaign Uses Trump’s Truth Social Post in Alaska Legal Filing
Dan Sullivan vs. Mary Peltola: What Latest Polls Say
The race has become one of the most closely watched elections in the 2026 midterms, and it’s one of a handful of toss-ups that could determine the balance of power in the Senate.
A Data for Progress survey conducted October 8-16 found Peltola ahead of Sullivan by 3 points, while an InsiderAdvantage survey conducted October 9-10 had Peltola ahead by 2 points in a head-to-head matchup.
Alaska uses ranked-choice voting for federal general elections. If no candidate receives the required majority in the first round, the lowest-finishing candidate is eliminated, and ballots transfer according to voters' subsequent preferences. The process continues until a candidate surpasses the 50 percent threshold.
That system is particularly relevant to the controversy surrounding the two Sullivans.
FairVote, a nonprofit election-reform organization that advocates for ranked-choice voting, said the system can mitigate potential confusion between the two Sullivans because voters can rank both candidates. If one is eliminated, the ballot can transfer to the other if he is the voter's next available preference.
Ranked-choice voting also means the eventual winner may not be clear from the first-choice results.
...
What Donald Trump Has Said About Double Dan Sullivan Report
Trump has embraced the legal challenge surrounding the two-Sullivan controversy.
After Justice Department filed its lawsuit seeking to prevent Alaska from certifying certain results if Sullivan loses, Trump said: "I'm the one that said 'do it.'"
Alaska election officials are fighting the federal government's effort. They have asked U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason to dismiss the Justice Department's lawsuit, while Peltola's campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) have also moved for dismissal. Gleason fast-tracked consideration of the litigation ahead of Election Day.
Newsweek*’s* reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here. Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Samantha Beech and Anthony Murray.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines