Justice Department Subpoenas in Alaska Senate Ballot Probe
The U.S. Justice Department has issued subpoenas over an alleged effort to place a second candidate named Dan Sullivan on Alaska's Senate ballot, The Guardian reported on Oct. 29, 2026. A subpoena is a legal order requiring a person to hand over documents or testify. ABC News, citing sources familiar with the matter, reported that the subpoenas target Democratic officials believed to be tied to the effort.
The race pits Republican incumbent Dan S. Sullivan against Democrat Mary Peltola, who is the only Democrat on the ballot. The ballot also lists a second Dan Sullivan, Daniel J. Sullivan, a retired teacher from a small fishing village in Alaska's Panhandle, and a fourth long-shot candidate. Alaska's ballot describes the incumbent as a "registered Republican" and "incumbent."
The second Dan Sullivan's candidacy has been under federal scrutiny since midsummer. The Justice Department opened an investigation into his campaign in July, and in August a federal grand jury, a panel of citizens that hears evidence in criminal cases, issued subpoenas to people linked to his campaign. Alaska's Supreme Court had earlier affirmed that his candidacy was legal.
The newest development centres on who may have driven the recruitment. The New York Times reported that the effort was led by Peltola's campaign. The paper alleged that members of her campaign, her lawyers and senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee pushed to find a "spoiler," a candidate with little chance of winning who could draw votes away from Sen. Sullivan.
Peltola's campaign had denied involvement for months. Its committee, Alaskans for Mary, said it "has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign." The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee told ABC News it was "not involved with Dan J. Sullivan."
Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced a criminal inquiry into the effort on Oct. 29. Attorney General Todd Blanche, in a Fox News interview on Wednesday, described the candidacy and the recruitment efforts as "cheating" and "fraud," and said he expected more news from the department this week. President Donald Trump has publicly demanded that Peltola face prosecution. Prosecutors are examining whether the maneuvering could violate federal conspiracy laws, which concern agreements between two or more people to break the law.
Trump has also said he ordered the Justice Department to file a lawsuit to block certification, the official confirmation of election results, of the Senate race if Dan Sullivan does not win. The department has filed a civil lawsuit seeking an injunction, a court order, against Alaska certifying its Senate results if the senator narrowly loses. As of Oct. 29, that case was pending, and a federal judge was expected to rule on it in the coming days.
