A New York Times report alleging Democratic campaign operatives sought to prop up a second U.S. Senate candidate named Dan Sullivan has jolted Alaska’s toss-up race just days before Election Day, according to NPR. NPR says it has not independently confirmed the Times reporting.
What the Times reported—and what NPR has (not) confirmed
NPR reports that the Times story is based on interviews and communications among Democratic candidate Mary Peltola’s attorneys and advisers, plus senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Republicans have long alleged the non-incumbent Sullivan is a spoiler whose presence could confuse voters and siphon support from Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. Democrats have denied involvement, and both the Peltola campaign and the DSCC reiterated those denials after the Times story published, per NPR.
State probe and new DOJ move
Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy said Wednesday night he is directing Alaska’s Department of Public Safety to investigate “whether this scheme violated Alaska’s laws and whether criminal charges or civil action are warranted,” NPR reports. It’s unclear what laws, if any, could have been violated.
NPR also reports that Justice Department officials said Thursday the Times story expands DOJ options for investigating the Senate race, and the department filed an amended complaint citing the new reporting. Trump’s Justice Department had already asked a court last week to delay certification if the incumbent Sullivan loses by a small margin, citing potential voter confusion. Election-law experts broadly derided that earlier DOJ case as weak, NPR notes, partly because the Constitution grants states control over elections.
How the campaigns responded
While campaigning Wednesday, Peltola called the Times story a “distraction,” according to Alaska Public Media. The non-incumbent Dan Sullivan did not respond to Alaska Public Media’s requests for comment; he has previously said it was his decision to run, NPR reports.
Republicans seized on the report. “Mary Peltola and her campaign have spent months gaslighting Alaskans, denying a scheme they were running all along,” Nate Adams, a spokesperson for Sen. Sullivan, said in a statement, per NPR. In an online post, President Trump—who tried to overturn his 2020 election loss, NPR notes—called the Alaska findings “Voter Fraud at the Highest Level.”
Ballot rules and what voters will see
The Alaska Supreme Court ruled in June that the non-incumbent Sullivan could appear on the general-election ballot, NPR reports. The ballot notes which Sullivan is the Republican incumbent. Because Alaska uses ranked-choice voting, some experts have pointed out that heavy coverage of the second Sullivan’s candidacy could reduce confusion—and voters who are unsure can rank both Sullivans and not rank Peltola, NPR reports.
Alaska Public Media found mixed reactions to the Times reporting, including frustration over the distraction and skepticism that voters would be confused. Some voters compared the situation to Republican groups’ spending in support of a Democrat who is a federal prisoner in New York but appears on Alaska’s U.S. House ballot, according to Alaska Public Media.
Dirty tricks—or illegal?
Elaine Kamarck, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who co-authored a book on campaign dirty tricks, told NPR that political “tricks” are common and hard to regulate: “There’s just a lot of tricks. There’s old ones. There’s new ones… But it’s pretty standard fare for campaigns.”
Why the stakes feel high
NPR frames Alaska’s contest as an all-important Senate race that could determine which party controls the chamber next year. Whether voters want to keep the state’s unique election system is also on the ballot, NPR reports.
