Federal law enforcement is ramping up its investigation into an alleged scheme to recruit a candidate in Alaska's Senate race with the same name as incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, U.S. Attorney for the District of Alaska Michael Heyman announced Friday.
Heyman said the probe has been underway for months but has accelerated following what he called "troubling new revelations" reported this week by The New York Times. The newspaper alleged that Democratic operatives and the campaign of Democrat Mary Peltola were involved in an effort to recruit a second Dan Sullivan to run as a spoiler.
"This new information has resulted in a significant surge of law enforcement assets to Alaska, and I have assigned several attorneys in my office to assist in the matter as well," Heyman said at a press conference, adding that authorities are pursuing the matter "intensely and swiftly."
While Heyman declined to specify which crimes are under investigation or who is being targeted, he stressed a commitment to election integrity. "What I can tell Alaskans is that we will not let anyone or any group undermine this election," he said.
Peltola, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and the incumbent senator's GOP challenger, Dan J. Sullivan, have all denied any involvement in the reported effort. During a Thursday evening speech in Juneau, Peltola said, "I just want to clear the air: I knew nothing about any other candidate on the ballot except for me and the incumbent. That is all I have ever known about. I am not interested in tricking voters."
The investigation follows calls from President Trump for both Peltola and the spoiler candidate to be removed from the ballot and prosecuted. Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) also ordered a state investigation into Peltola on Wednesday, writing on social media that "Alaskans have a fundamental right to vote for the candidate they actually intend to support" and that "deliberately tricking voters into casting their ballots for someone else strikes at the integrity of our elections."
Heyman on Friday urged anyone with knowledge about the "Dan Sullivan issue" or other potential election integrity violations to contact federal authorities. "Within the last 24 hours or so, we have received a number of new pieces of information that we're following up on," he said. "Anybody with additional information should contact the FBI as soon as possible."
The case has drawn national attention as Alaska's Senate race tightens. Peltola has consistently denied any role in the alleged spoiler scheme, and the controversy has become a flashpoint in the final stretch of the campaign. For more on the legal battle, see DOJ's accusations against Peltola. Additionally, House Republicans have opened their own probe into the matter.
As federal investigators dig deeper, the political fallout continues to mount. Gov. Dunleavy has warned that certification of the election could be halted pending the outcome of the investigation. With control of the Senate potentially at stake, the Alaska race remains under intense scrutiny.
