Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) signaled Thursday that the state's midterm election certification process could be halted or revised as authorities probe claims that Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola's campaign engineered a ballot-stacking scheme.
In an interview with NewsNation's Blake Burman, Dunleavy said the state would investigate the allegations thoroughly and would not hesitate to act if wrongdoing is found. "We are going to investigate it. We're going to follow the law," he said. "We are ready to do whatever we need to do to ensure that our elections are deemed credible."
Pressed on whether certification might actually be stopped, Dunleavy conceded, "Depending upon the outcomes of this investigation. Yes." He added that if the probe reveals misconduct, "then the certification is stopped or changed."
The controversy stems from a New York Times report that Peltola's campaign recruited Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. to run as a namesake challenger against incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan (R), potentially confusing voters. Peltola's campaign has denied any involvement in recruiting Sullivan Jr., who is not related to the senator.
Republicans have seized on the allegations. The GOP-led House Oversight Committee, chaired by Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), launched its own investigation Thursday, and the Justice Department expanded its existing lawsuit seeking to block certification if Sen. Sullivan loses. President Trump has accused Peltola of election fraud and called for her removal from the ballot.
Dunleavy stopped short of declaring Peltola's campaign broke the law, emphasizing the need for a full investigation. "We're going to investigate everyone and every organization associated with this," he said. "This strikes to the heart of election integrity. You can't just dismiss what could be a ruse that could throw an election."
However, legal experts question whether the alleged scheme is even illegal. Frank Kendall, an Alaska lawyer and former GOP operative, told The Hill that recruiting a name-alike candidate does not violate state law. "These allegations don't make the Department of Justice's case a better case," Kendall said. "There's no basis for this lawsuit." He added, "It can be a nasty, dirty trick. There can be bad motives behind it, but according to our Alaska Supreme Court, which is empowered to interpret Alaska law, it is not illegal."
The Alaska Supreme Court ruled in late June, before the state's primaries, that Sullivan Jr. could remain on the ballot despite a GOP challenge. Dunleavy suggested the court might have ruled differently had it known about Peltola's alleged involvement. "We did not want this individual on our ballot. It was the Supreme Court of Alaska that made that decision," he said. "I think now with this additional information, they probably would have arrived at a different conclusion."
The development adds fresh uncertainty to an already tight Senate race, with final forecasts showing a narrow margin. Dunleavy's comments raise the possibility of a post-election legal battle that could delay the final outcome.
