The U.S. Department of Justice has escalated a criminal investigation into Alaska’s competitive Senate race by issuing at least three dozen new grand jury subpoenas and document preservation requests, NBC News and the Associated Press reported Thursday. The federal probe focuses on allegations that Democratic candidate Mary Peltola’s campaign was involved in recruiting Dan J. Sullivan Jr. to run in the race, creating a ballot dynamic with the same name as the Republican incumbent, Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, in an alleged effort to confuse voters.
Subpoenas Target Peltola Campaign and Rival Candidate
Federal investigators sent the new wave of subpoenas directly to Democratic candidate Mary Peltola’s Senate campaign office and the offices of Dan J. Sullivan Jr., a U.S. official confirmed to NBC News. The demands seek grand jury testimony, documents, and records preservation. This federal intervention arrives in the weeks leading up to the midterm elections.
The Justice Department’s actions follow a report published by The New York Times, which indicated that Peltola’s team coaxed candidates into the race to split support for the GOP senator. Attorneys for Democrats and the Peltola campaign had previously stated they lacked knowledge of how Dan J. Sullivan came to enter the contest. However, government filings on Thursday noted that details in the report contradicted those earlier statements.
Political Repercussions and Competing Claims
President Trump called for the criminal prosecution of Peltola and her campaign earlier in the week, stating she should be removed from the ballot and prosecuted. Speaking to reporters on his way to a rally in South Carolina, Trump questioned whether Peltola would even be allowed to be seated in the Senate if she won the election. Vice President JD Vance said he supported a probe into possible election fraud, accusing Peltola of attempting to steal a Senate seat through a fraudulent person on the ballot.
Atty. Gen. Todd Blanche declined to discuss ongoing criminal investigations during a Fox News appearance on Wednesday, but leveled direct accusations at Democrats. “They are trying 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,” Blanche said, as reported by the Associated Press.
Meanwhile, Dan J. Sullivan Jr. has consistently denied any coordination with Democrats. Following his June announcement, he maintained he had no contact with Peltola’s campaign, stating his involvement was “Zero, none, zilch.”
State-Level Inquiries and Legal Precedents
The federal inquiry runs parallel to state-level scrutiny. Republican Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy ordered a separate investigation into Peltola, stating that recent reporting reveals disturbing evidence of an organized effort to manipulate Alaska’s elections. Earlier this year, a state elections official ruled Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. ineligible for the primary ballot, concluding his candidacy was filed to compromise the ballot’s fairness or neutrality. That decision was later overturned by the Alaska Supreme Court, which ruled him qualified to run.
On the campaign trail in Soldotna, Peltola dismissed the reports as a distraction from policy issues, telling supporters in an online video that the controversy is merely an attempt to sell newspapers and generate subscriptions. Experts note that while political parties frequently support extra candidates on ballots to pull votes from rivals, if state courts allow it, the federal government has no role challenging the results.
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