ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The top federal prosecutor in Alaska confirmed on Friday that his office has launched a criminal investigation into an alleged scheme to confuse voters by recruiting a Senate candidate with the same name as the Republican incumbent.
U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman told reporters that the probe, which has been underway for several months, has intensified following recent reports that the campaign of Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola may have been involved in the recruitment of the challenger, Dan J. Sullivan. The revelations have led to a “significant surge of law enforcement assets to Alaska,” according to Heyman.
“When credible information comes out, we are committed to pursuing that information to deceive voters and we will act on it. We are acting on it intensely and swiftly,” Heyman said. While he declined to specify potential criminal charges or name specific targets, he encouraged the public to come forward with relevant information.
The investigation coincides with parallel civil litigation filed by the Department of Justice, which seeks to block the certification of the Alaska Senate race should the Republican incumbent, Sen. Dan Sullivan, lose. In a court filing on Friday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Wilson requested that the court order the preservation and segregation of all ballots ranking the challenger, Daniel J. Sullivan, to allow for an investigation into whether such votes were the product of voter confusion.
“There is a ‘substantial risk’ that the candidacy of Dan J. Sullivan will mislead voters and ultimately result in an electoral process that lacks integrity,” Justice Department attorneys argued in the filing.
The political firestorm has put both campaigns under intense scrutiny. Peltola, who is challenging the GOP incumbent, denied any involvement during a rally in Juneau on Thursday. “I knew nothing about any other candidate on the ballot except for me and the incumbent,” she said. “I am not interested in tricking voters.”
The challenger, Dan J. Sullivan, has consistently denied that he was running at the behest of Democrats, telling reporters previously that he had “zero” contact with the Peltola campaign.
The situation has drawn high-level attention, with Republican Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy ordering a separate state investigation into the matter, describing the allegations as a “disturbing new evidence of an organized effort to manipulate Alaska’s elections.” President Trump has also weighed in, stating he expects legal challenges to the certification of the results if Peltola emerges victorious.
The intensity of the federal intervention is notable, as the Department of Justice typically avoids taking public, high-profile steps in the final weeks of an election cycle. As the legal battle unfolds, state attorneys have urged the court to expedite a ruling by Monday, warning that the ongoing litigation threatens to “cast a cloud over Alaska’s election” that is contrary to the public interest.
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