U.S. Attorney for the District of Alaska Michael J. Heyman confirmed Friday during a press conference in Anchorage that a federal criminal investigation is underway into an alleged scheme involving the placement of a candidate named Dan J. Sullivan on the Alaska Senate ballot alongside incumbent Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan.
The investigation, which has been open for several months, saw a significant surge of law enforcement assets to Alaska this week following reporting in The New York Times that Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola’s campaign appeared to have been involved in recruiting efforts related to the second Sullivan, Heyman said.
“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 told reporters. He declined to identify potential crimes under review or name specific targets of the probe, and he encouraged members of the public with information to contact investigators.
Heyman noted that the matter had proceeded quietly for months and that authorities were examining whether a crime had been committed under several theories, without assuming that any violation had occurred. He indicated that allegations touching on election integrity were being taken seriously given the proximity to the November 3 election.
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🚨 BREAKING: Alaska US Attorney just walked out and announced a SURGE in law enforcement descending on the Democrat scandal to place a fake Dan Sullivan on the US Senate ballot, involving Mary Peltola (D)’s operatives
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Federal prosecutors this week issued dozens of grand jury subpoenas and records-preservation demands, including to Peltola’s campaign offices and those associated with Dan J. Sullivan, according to a person familiar with the matter. Peltola, a former U.S. representative, denied knowledge of any recruitment effort during a campaign event Thursday in Juneau. “I just want to clear the air,” she said. “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 centers on reports that operatives connected to Peltola’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee worked to identify and encourage additional candidates, including one sharing the incumbent’s name, in a race expected to help determine control of the Senate. Alaska’s election system advances the top four primary finishers to a general-election ballot decided by ranked-choice voting. The general-election ballot lists Mary Peltola (Registered Democrat), Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., Dan S. Sullivan (Registered Republican) Incumbent, and Gerald L. Heikes (Registered Republican).
Separately, Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy ordered the state Department of Public Safety to examine whether the reported activities violated Alaska law and whether criminal charges or civil action are warranted. The Justice Department has also filed a civil lawsuit seeking to prevent certification of the results if Sen. Dan S. Sullivan loses by a margin that could be attributable to voter confusion between the two candidates named Sullivan.
Peltola’s campaign and the DSCC have denied involvement in recruiting efforts and, in recent court filings, described related allegations as a distraction without legal significance.
The New York Times reported Wednesday that Peltola campaign staff and senior DSCC aides participated in efforts, beginning in 2025, to recruit potential spoiler candidates who could dilute support for the incumbent. The reporting cited interviews with about a dozen people with knowledge of the activities, text messages, and documents prepared for a possible lawsuit.
Former Peltola campaign manager Elisa Rios told the Times that Peltola was not directly involved in the project but was “definitely aware.” Rios later sought to retract her statements, though the outlet noted that her account aligned with other sources and materials
The newspaper described activities including searches for individuals named Dan Sullivan in Alaska, contacts with prospective candidates, and involvement of an operative who used an alias. Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher from Petersburg who filed as a candidate in May, has stated he had no contact with Peltola’s campaign.
Both the state and federal investigations remain ongoing.
