Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy has ordered an investigation into Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mary Peltola's campaign over allegations that her team worked to recruit candidates to draw votes from her Republican opponent. The announcement came after a report detailed efforts by Peltola's campaign to recruit men named Dan Sullivan to run, a tactic aimed at confusing voters and potentially impacting the race.

President Donald Trump has also called for Peltola's prosecution, escalating Republican efforts to challenge her candidacy just days before the November 3 election. Trump stated that if Peltola wins, "you’re going to have to see what happens," adding, "It’s hard to believe that she could even be allowed to run."

Peltola is challenging Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan. Another candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired teacher, has denied running at the behest of Democrats, and his eligibility for the ballot was upheld by Alaska's Supreme Court.

The dispute intensified following a report that indicated Peltola's team collaborated with individuals to recruit candidates with the same name as the incumbent Senator Sullivan, as well as other potential spoiler candidates. Governor Dunleavy stated that the reporting provided new evidence of an effort to mislead voters. "Deliberately tricking voters into casting their ballots for someone else strikes at the integrity of our elections," Dunleavy wrote on social media.

Peltola has dismissed the report, characterizing it as a diversion from substantive issues. "This is just another distraction. It’s another diversion," she said. "This is all stuff to sell newspapers. This is all stuff to get subscriptions."

A spokesperson for Peltola's campaign, Alaskans for Mary, stated that the campaign has "no involvement with either Sullivan campaign" and has made no assertions in federal court regarding Daniel J. Sullivan's candidacy. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), also reportedly involved, told TIME it was "not involved with Dan J. Sullivan."

Vice President JD Vance also backed an investigation, accusing Peltola of attempting to mislead voters. "She is trying to steal a Senate seat from the voters of Alaska, and it’s disgraceful," he said.

Trump had previously accused Peltola and her campaign of voter fraud, demanding her removal from the ballot and prosecution. "It was just determined that the Dumocrats in Alaska, despite their sworn statements to the contrary, put a man named Dan Sullivan on the Ballot in order to confuse the Public with respect to Highly Esteemed Senator Dan Sullivan," Trump posted on Truth Social. "This is Voter Fraud at the Highest Level, and the Dumocrat Candidate, who was involved in the scheme, Mary Peltola, should be removed from the Ballot and prosecuted—So should the FAKE Dan Sullivan. Nothing else will do!"

The report noted that ballot-stacking tactics are generally considered legal and have been employed by both parties. The Justice Department had previously filed a lawsuit seeking to block the certification of election results under specific conditions if Senator Sullivan loses, citing potential "voter confusion."

Campaign Tactics Detailed

According to the report, Peltola's campaign pursued a project dubbed "ballot composition," which involved campaign lawyers and senior aides from the DSCC. The operation to recruit potential spoiler candidates reportedly began in the summer of 2025, with Peltola's campaign working with a "veteran Democratic operative" known for expertise in ballot maneuvering. Instructions were allegedly given to "find as many people named Dan Sullivan in Alaska" as possible, leading to the recruitment of Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.

While the report indicated Peltola was not directly involved in the project, it suggested she was "definitely aware." The former campaign manager who reportedly made these statements later expressed a desire to recant them without explanation.

Alaska employs a nonpartisan primary system, followed by a ranked-choice general election if no candidate secures an initial majority.

Precedent for Spoiler Tactics

Alaska's other Senator, Lisa Murkowski, issued a statement demanding Peltola disclose the "honest truth" about the alleged ballot-stacking. "While some may try to write this off as just how politics works now, ballot-stacking should have no place in our electoral process," Murkowski wrote. "Run and win on your merits: your views, your policy ideas, and your accomplishments. By contrast, recruiting candidates to manipulate the field and influence voting outcomes is simply wrong."

Nate Adams, a spokesperson for Sullivan's campaign, stated that "not one player in this operation has acted in good faith with Alaska voters."

Republicans have also utilized similar tactics. In Alaska's primary, a GOP-aligned PAC reportedly spent money to support fringe candidates to draw votes from Peltola. Additionally, a GOP-linked PAC spent over $1 million this election cycle to boost a third-party candidate in Ohio and undermine Senator Sherrod Brown's campaign. In Minnesota in 2020, a Legal Marijuana Now Party candidate reportedly claimed he was recruited by unnamed Republicans to pull votes away from Democrats.