Mary Peltola, the Democratic Senate candidate in Alaska, denied knowing about an alleged scheme that led to two men named Dan Sullivan appearing on the ballot. "I knew nothing about any other candidate on the ballot except for me and the incumbent," Peltola said while speaking to voters on Thursday. "I am not interested in tricking voters."
The New York Times reported that people connected to Peltola's campaign, along with senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, worked to recruit Dan J Sullivan, a retired teacher who lives in a remote fishing village, to run in the race. According to the Times, it reviewed text messages and interviewed 12 people involved in or told of the plan. The BBC has not independently verified that reporting. The Peltola campaign has denied the reports, and Dan J Sullivan has denied any links to her campaign.
Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy ordered an official inquiry into the alleged scheme earlier this week. Michael Heyman, the US attorney for the district of Alaska, said at a Friday press conference that there is both a civil and a criminal investigation ongoing. He did not provide details of specific crimes his office would investigate. According to CBS News, the Justice Department has begun issuing subpoenas to Democratic officials allegedly connected to the recruitment effort. No charges had been filed as of Friday evening.
The Trump administration filed a federal lawsuit last week to block certification of the result if Republican Senator Dan S Sullivan loses. Its lawyers also asked a federal judge to order state election officials to preserve and segregate all ballots that rank Dan J Sullivan. Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward argued in court documents that the move would help investigate whether such ranking "was the product of voter confusion, should such an investigation become necessary." A federal judge has expedited consideration of motions to dismiss brought by Alaska election officials, backed by the Peltola campaign and voting rights groups.
Scott Kendall, an attorney who worked with Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski in her 2010 and 2016 campaigns, told the BBC he was skeptical that the actions described in the Times story broke the law. He noted that Alaska law has no specific good-faith requirements for candidates, and spoiler candidates have appeared in past contests.
The non-partisan Cook Political Report classifies the race as a toss-up.