Peltola Denies Knowledge of Ballot Scheme as DOJ Subpoenas Escalate
The Justice Department is escalating its investigation into an alleged effort to place a candidate with a similar name to a Republican incumbent on the Alaska Senate ballot, a move Democratic candidate Mary Peltola denies any knowledge of.
Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola on Thursday denied any knowledge of an effort to place another candidate on the Alaska ballot with the same name as the Republican incumbent, as the Justice Department escalated its criminal investigation with new grand jury subpoenas.
"I just want to clear the air," Peltola said in Juneau, Alaska. "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."
Peltola is running against incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan. The Justice Department has been investigating allegations that Dan J. Sullivan Jr. entered the race to siphon votes from Sen. Sullivan. Subpoenas seeking grand jury testimony or documents, along with records preservation demands, were issued after reporting indicated Peltola's campaign may have been involved in recruiting Dan J. Sullivan Jr. as part of an alleged scheme to confuse voters.
The race is considered crucial for control of the U.S. Senate. The number and recipients of the subpoenas were not immediately clear, but more are expected, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the ongoing probe.
Dan J. Sullivan has consistently denied running at the behest of Democrats and stated he had no contact with Peltola's campaign. Earlier this year, a state elections official ruled Dan J. Sullivan Jr. ineligible for the primary ballot, concluding his candidacy was filed "with a purpose to confuse or mislead and to thereby compromise the ballot’s fairness or neutrality." The Alaska Supreme Court, however, later ruled he was qualified to run.
Alaskan voters will see "Dan S. Sullivan" identified as a "registered Republican" and "incumbent" on their ballots, while "Daniel J. Sullivan Jr." will not have a party affiliation.
President Donald Trump has called for the criminal prosecution of Peltola and her campaign, accusing Democrats of attempting to "take votes away from the incumbent, not by running an election, not by running on issues but by putting up a person with the same name." Trump has also cast doubt on whether Peltola would be seated in the Senate even if she won.
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has ordered an investigation into Peltola, citing newspaper reporting that he said "reveals disturbing new evidence of an organized effort to manipulate Alaska’s elections by recruiting candidates... to deliberately confuse voters and misdirect their votes."
Peltola alluded to the controversy in a fundraising post, stating, "They can’t win on their record so they’re trying to intimidate me into backing down." She added that the situation was a "distraction as they avoid answering for the skyrocketing cost of living we’re facing because of their tariffs and forever wars."