DOJ Sues to Isolate Ballots for Second Dan Sullivan

United States Attorney Michael Heyman confirmed on Friday that federal prosecutors have opened both criminal and civil investigations into an alleged scheme by Democrats to confuse voters in the Alaska Senate race. The probe targets the recruitment of a candidate named Daniel J. Sullivan, a retired schoolteacher with no prior political experience, who qualified for the ballot alongside the incumbent Republican, Senator Dan Sullivan.

Heyman cited New York Times reporting that suggested the campaign of Democrat Mary Peltola and national party officials orchestrated a conspiracy to prop up the second Dan Sullivan as a sham candidate. He stated that law enforcement assets have surged to the state as investigators take steps regarding the criminal matter. In a separate civil filing, the Department of Justice asked a federal judge to order state officials to isolate and segregate all ballots ranking Daniel J. Sullivan to preserve evidence of potential voter confusion.

The justice department also requested a preliminary injunction to block Alaska from certifying the election result if Senator Dan Sullivan loses to Peltola due to the presence of the other candidate on the ballot. Assistant U.S. Attorney E. Bryan Wilson explained that the government seeks to preserve these ballots to investigate whether voters intended to select the incumbent but accidentally chose the challenger because of their identical names. The civil suit focuses on preserving these records, while Heyman declined to specify which crimes the criminal investigation is examining.

Peltola denied knowledge of the effort on Thursday in Juneau, telling supporters she knew nothing about other candidates on the ballot except herself and the incumbent. She stated, "I am not interested in tricking voters." Subpoenas seeking grand jury testimony and documents were issued after the New York Times report surfaced, according to a person familiar with the matter. More subpoenas are expected, though recipients and quantities were not immediately clear.

Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy, a Republican, announced plans to launch a separate state criminal investigation. He called the situation disturbing evidence of an organized effort to manipulate elections by recruiting a candidate with the same name as an incumbent to misdirect votes. The race is critical for Senate control, with Democrats holding 47 seats to Republicans' 53. Recent polls show Peltola leading, though election authorities had previously attempted to disqualify the second Dan Sullivan before the state supreme court allowed him to remain on the ballot.

President Donald Trump cast doubt on whether Peltola would be seated if she wins. Speaking in South Carolina on Thursday, he said it is hard to believe she could be allowed to run and suggested she should be removed from the ballot and prosecuted. On the general election ballot, the incumbent will be listed as Sullivan, Dan S. (Registered Republican) Incumbent, while the challenger will appear as Sullivan, Daniel J. Jr.