Alaska Senate race engulfed by row over two Dan Sullivans on ballot

The Republican governor of Alaska has ordered an investigation into an alleged "scheme" designed "to manipulate Alaska's elections". Mike Dunleavy said he was responding to a report in the New York Times that the team of the Democratic candidate Mary Peltola worked with people who tried to recruit a man to contest the Senate race who shares his name with Peltola's opponent, Dan Sullivan.

Sullivan, the incumbent senator, and fellow Republicans have accused the Democrats of trying to confuse voters. President Donald Trump has called for Peltola to be barred from the ballot. Her team denies any wrongdoing or any encouragement of the second Dan Sullivan to stand in the tight contest.

For his part, the second Dan Sullivan, a retired teacher who lives in a remote fishing village, denies any links with the Peltola campaign. Although he has given few interviews, he told the New York Times in August that he was running in good faith as a moderate Republican, albeit one who had voted for Peltola in previous contests. The ballot paper is set to list the two men as Dan S Sullivan, described as the incumbent Republican senator, and Daniel J Sullivan Jr.

Senator Sullivan told Fox News on Wednesday night that Peltola should "come clean", describing the matter as a scandal of the highest order. His fellow Republican senator in Alaska, Lisa Murkowski, accused the Democratic campaign of engaging in a "pattern of lies". Analysts consider the Alaska race one of the tightest of the upcoming US midterm elections, which will decide which party controls Congress. Americans head to the polls across the country on Tuesday.

Previous Republican efforts to remove the retired teacher from the ballot have already been rejected by the Alaska Supreme Court. But Dunleavy's statement, which did not name the Peltola campaign, said the New York Times reporting had supported findings by the state Division of Elections earlier this year. "I am therefore directing the Department of Public Safety to investigate whether this scheme violated Alaska's laws and whether criminal charges or civil action are warranted," he wrote. "The evidence will determine what happens next."

The newspaper alleged that people connected to Peltola's campaign, as well as senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, worked to recruit the schoolteacher to stand in the Senate race. According to the report, this formed part of a broader effort to encourage other would-be "spoiler" candidates to enter the race and dilute support for the sitting Republican senator. The paper said it had seen text messages and interviewed 12 people who took part in or were told of the plan, or were would-be candidates the team tried to recruit. The BBC has not independently verified the reporting.

In a series of posts on Truth Social, Trump also pointed to the report and made a variety of allegations against Peltola, arguing she should be removed from the ballot. He repeated his endorsement of the incumbent Republican senator, writing: "Dan is a GREAT man, has ALWAYS delivered for Alaska." His administration previously filed a legal case aimed at preventing certification of the result should the Trump-backed candidate lose, arguing that the presence of both Sullivans on the ballot could confuse voters.

Alaska's ranked-choice voting system means voters could select both Sullivans if they are unsure at the ballot box. The battle threatens to delay the full picture of nationwide results after the midterms. The ultimate question of which party controls Congress will have a significant bearing on the remaining two years of Trump's presidency.

A statement from an Alaskans for Mary spokesperson, written before Dunleavy's call for an investigation, said: "Mary got in this race because Alaskans deserve a champion who is fighting to lower their costs and put Alaska first, and no tweet or threat from any DC politician will keep her away from that fight. The Alaskans for Mary campaign has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign." In a statement to US media, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee likewise denied involvement in any such scheme.