Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R-AK) has ordered an investigation into whether Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola’s campaign illegally recruited a spoiler candidate to siphon votes from Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK), escalating a controversy that could reshape one of the country’s most competitive Senate races days before Election Day.
Page B47From§Eachthe morning edition — 29 October 2026
THE INVESTIGATIONS
Governor opens criminal probe into the one Alaska candidate whose win a federal suit seeks to void
Three instruments in seven days, and every one of them points the same way. On 23 October the Department of Justice went into federal court to stop Alaska certifying its Senate result — if the Republican incumbent does not win. Only then. A condition precedent, you see, and the condition is a Republican defeat. Senator Tillis said on Sunday that the outcome was "appropriate to take a look at." On Wednesday Senator Scott asked that same Department to investigate Mary Peltola's campaign. On Thursday Governor Dunleavy directed the Department of Public Safety to determine "whether this scheme violated Alaska's laws and whether criminal charges or civil action are warranted." Two men named Dan Sullivan sit on that ballot, one of them the sitting senator, and the count every one of these documents concerns has not happened ... nor has a single page of it been turned the other way. Peltola denied the allegations. The Washington Examiner had the whole affair on 31 August, before anything was filed anywhere. Alaska votes Tuesday. Six days.
Two foxes at the fence now. The farmer latches the shed at dusk.
“They filed the remedy on the twenty-third and went looking for the crime on the twenty-ninth — that is the whole trick, in order. Three offices aimed at the Democrat who might win, and not one of them aimed at the Republican who might lose. Six days from now Alaskans vote, and a federal judge is sitting on a motion that says the result only counts if it comes out one way.”
“Nobody is investigating a candidate, they are investigating a scheme — there is a difference, and I am not being defensive, you are being defensive. Did I say the lawsuit only takes effect if our guy loses? That does not sound like me. Look, if Democrats had not gone and found a second Dan Sullivan there would be nothing to look at, which is exactly why the Department filed before anyone looked.”
Earlier in this story
- Peltola's campaign was 'definitely aware' of its decoy scheme; DOJ needs an anonymous analyst to prove it worked. By Lou · the evening edition, 28 October 2026
- Justice Department prepares to nullify Alaska's Senate race only if Republicans lose; Democrats spent months engineering that outcome. By Lou · the afternoon edition, 28 October 2026
- DOJ sues to void an election only the Republican could lose, nine days before Alaska votes By Lou · the evening edition, 26 October 2026
- Attorney general calls three hosts misleading, crazy, and not a real question; the one from Trump remains unanswered. By Lou · the evening edition, 25 October 2026
- Attorney general declares Alaska's Senate race unfair; ballots challenged: zero, with nine days until the vote By Sterling · the afternoon edition, 25 October 2026
- Justice Department asks a court to block Alaska's Senate certification only if the Republican loses, challenging zero ballots By Sterling · the evening edition, 25 October 2026
The receipts
Will former Rep. Mary Peltola (D) lose the Alaska Senate race after reports her campaign recruited "spoiler" candidates to interfere in the race against incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan (R)?
A report alleged that people aligned with Democrat Mary Peltola's campaign helped recruit a candidate with the same first and last name as Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. Peltola denied the allegations.
The move by the Justice Department to try and preemptively block Alaska’s Senate results if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses stunned officials in both parties.
Alaska Democrat Mary Peltola's campaign recruited a second Dan Sullivan to run for Senate, a report from The New York Times alleges. CBS News' Ed O'Keefe explains more, plus Weijia Jiang has more midterm headlines.
Democrats are running an average of 11.5 points ahead of their 2024 baseline across 2026 special elections MultiState Elections, 2026 special-election tracking
Live Updates: Alaska's ballot controversy and more from campaign trailPresident Trump will campaign Thursday in South Carolina for Republican Sen. Darline Graham.
Republicans are outraged by a New York Times report that Alaskan Democrat Mary Peltola's campaign helped find a man named Dan Sullivan to run on the midterm ballot against Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan. Ed O'Keefe reports.
Republicans' reconciliation package puts $70 billion into ICE's department NBC News, May 2026
Courts Reject Trump’s Attempt at Deploying ICE to Intimidate VotersA judge ordered Homeland Security to stop sending agents door to door in nine key states to hunt for “voter fraud.”
The DOJ disbanded its crypto enforcement team in April 2025 and ordered inconsistent investigations closed - while the president's family runs a crypto business CNBC, 8 April 2025 (Blanche memo)
Tim Scott calls for DOJ investigation of Peltola campaignSen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) on Wednesday called on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate Democrat Mary Peltola's campaign over reports that it sought to recruit "spoiler" candidates in Alaska to affect next week's election. "There's no doubt that Mary Peltola has been, at least her campaign and the Democrat apparatus, they are…
Alaska's Republican governor is calling for a state investigation into Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola after a report from The New York Times alleged that her campaign recruited a man with the same name as her opponent, Dan Sullivan, to run. CBS News political contributor Joel Payne has more.
The Republican governor was responding to allegations in the New York Times that Democrats recruited a spoiler candidate, Dan Sullivan.
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced Thursday that he is ordering an investigation into Democrat Mary Peltola’s Senate campaign after a report that it recruited a candidate with the same name as her Republican rival, Sen.
Republican Mike Dunleavy plans search after Peltola accused of recruiting Dan Sullivan to confuse voters The Republican governor of Alaska announced plans to launch a criminal investigation after a report accused the campaign of the Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola of trying to confuse voters by recruiting a candidate with the…
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This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front. The byline is a pen name for a column drafted by a machine and checked by the editor: how this is made.