The Justice Department has issued dozens of subpoenas as federal investigators dig into explosive allegations that Democrat Mary Peltola’s Senate campaign helped recruit a man with the same name as her Republican opponent, Sen. Dan Sullivan, in a bid to siphon votes away from the incumbent.
The subpoenas were sent to Peltola’s Senate campaign offices as well as the offices of Dan J. Sullivan, the namesake candidate, according to NBC News, which cited a U.S. official. The New York Times also reported on the subpoenas, citing officials familiar with the investigation.
The move follows a bombshell Times report on Wednesday that found Peltola’s campaign was directly involved in finding and recruiting a second Dan Sullivan for the ballot. The report cited 12 sources and pointed to text messages and documents showing that Peltola campaign aides, campaign lawyers and staffers from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee were involved in the effort. According to the Times, aides went looking for Alaskans named Dan Sullivan and eventually landed on a retired schoolteacher from the small fishing town of Petersburg.
Part of the report was based on interviews with Peltola’s former campaign manager, Elisa Rios, who was fired in August. Rios told the Times that Peltola was “definitely aware” of her team’s involvement, though the paper noted that Rios later tried to retract her comments.
The presence of Dan J. Sullivan on the ballot had already prompted the Justice Department to file a lawsuit arguing the second candidate gives an unfair advantage to the Alaska Democrat. The suit seeks to block certification of the results if Sen. Sullivan loses.
The stakes are high. The race is considered a toss-up that could help decide control of the Senate. In the August primary, Peltola took 49.5% of the vote, Sen. Sullivan took 41.4%, and Dan J. Sullivan took 2.5%. A recent Alaska Survey Research poll showed Peltola and Sen. Sullivan tied at 44% apiece, with Dan J. Sullivan at about 5%.
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a Republican, has ordered a state investigation into whether Peltola’s campaign broke state law.
“Alaskans have a fundamental right to vote for the candidate they actually intend to support,” Dunleavy wrote on social media. “Deliberately tricking voters into casting their ballots for someone else strikes at the integrity of our elections.”
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has also launched its own investigation into the former Democratic congresswoman.
President Trump weighed in on Truth Social on Wednesday, saying Peltola should face legal and political consequences.
“It has just been determined that the Democrats in Alaska illegally searched for, and recruited, a man named Dan Sullivan to run against our distinguished Republican Senator, Dan Sullivan, in order to defraud, confuse, and obfuscate the Election, thereby taking votes away from the REAL Senator, Dan Sullivan,” the president wrote.
Peltola is pushing back hard. On Thursday, she denied any knowledge of the alleged ballot-stacking scheme, saying she “knew nothing about any other candidate on the ballot except for me and the incumbent.”
Her campaign has also denied involvement, saying it “has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign.” The DSCC likewise said it is not involved with Dan J. Sullivan.
Dan J. Sullivan has long denied that he entered the race at Democrats’ urging and has said he had no contact with Peltola’s campaign.
Alaskans head to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 3.
