Alaska governor orders investigation into possible involvement of senator’s namesake — CNBC
Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy has instructed the state Department of Public Safety to investigate whether the possible involvement in the race for a U.S. Senate seat of a candidate with the same name as incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan violated the law. The senator is running for re-election.
As CNBC reports, Dunleavy’s decision came in response to a New York Times report. According to the newspaper, staffers from Democratic candidate Mary Peltola’s campaign and senior advisers to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) allegedly helped persuade former teacher Dan Sullivan to run in order to draw votes away from the incumbent senator.
Peltola campaign’s position
Peltola’s campaign and the DSCC denied involvement in the former teacher’s campaign. Dunleavy said the new information substantially corroborates the Alaska Division of Elections’ previous findings, which had earlier reviewed concerns about possible voter confusion.
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The Division of Elections initially barred the candidate from the primary election, but a state judge overturned that decision. The Alaska Supreme Court upheld the ruling, so the candidate was granted the right to appear on the ballot.
Justice Department lawsuit
At the same time, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit seeking to temporarily block the immediate certification of Senate election results that could have been affected by confusion caused by two candidates with similar names. Judge Sharon Gleason allowed Peltola’s campaign and the DSCC to join the case.
Peltola’s campaign, the DSCC, and Alaska election officials are asking for the lawsuit to be dismissed before voting day on November 3. State election authorities said in court filings that they took steps to distinguish the candidates on the ballot: the former teacher is listed as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., while the incumbent senator is listed as Dan S. Sullivan, with a designation of his status as a registered Republican and incumbent officeholder.
