Justice Department Expands Investigation into Lookalike Candidate in Alaska Senate Race
Prosecutor's Office and FBI are investigating, in the civil and criminal spheres, an alleged attempt to confuse voters with a second Dan Sullivan on the ballot, just days before the midterm elections.
BY THE X-TRADER NEWS NEWSROOM · REPORTING FROM FOX BUSINESS · 3 MIN
The United States Department of Justice confirmed that it is investigating, in civil and criminal spheres, the alleged effort to place a second candidate named Republican Senator Dan Sullivan on the Alaska ballot. According to Fox Business coverage, the race is one of six considered tied that could decide control of Congress in the midterm elections, scheduled for Tuesday, November 3.
The case involves Daniel J. Sullivan, nicknamed "Decoy Dan." In June, Alaska's elections director concluded that he was unqualified and running to confuse voters. Among the factors cited were the attempt to register as "Dan S. Sullivan", which is the senator's initials, and the request to be identified as a Republican, without ever having had a membership to the party. Sullivan appealed and was placed back on the ballot by court decision.
What the authorities say
The federal prosecutor for Alaska stated that the government takes "extremely seriously" the information published by the New York Times, according to which Democrat Mary Peltola's campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Committee had orchestrated the candidate's recruitment. He explained that the two fronts run in parallel: the civil front seeks to preserve the ballots, without asking the court to declare the winner or change votes, and the criminal front continues in progress, with no details disclosed. The Justice Department said it would submit a request for an injunction and early production of evidence by Monday.
According to Fox Business, Governor Mike Dunleavy, a Republican, has opened a state investigation. He said that everyone linked to the campaign can be heard and that an eventual result favorable to Peltola could face certification problems, depending on the evidence. Peltola denies any involvement and claims that she only knew the candidates, who are herself and the senator. Fox Business also reported that the Senate Republican committee has asked the Federal Election Commission to investigate her campaign.
Early voting and risk of confusion
The central concern is the volume of votes already registered. According to reporter Matt Finn, the state has received around 72,000 ballots so far, and presenter Will Cain cited 58,000 votes before the New York Times report. Wall Street Journal columnist Kim Strassel noted that the decoy candidate won 2.5% of the vote in the primary and that some of that likely came from confusion. In her opinion, if Peltola wins by a margin smaller than that share, the problem would be real. Strassel also noted that the two Sullivans appear at the end of a long ballot, with 12 names, and that Alaska's ranked vote is complex.
Commentator Brit Hume, from Fox, assessed that the political effect of the publicity surrounding the case could weigh as much as any legal outcome, as there are hardly any voters left without knowing that there are two Dan Sullivans on the ballot. Former Congressman Jason Chaffetz and Governor Dunleavy also criticized ranked voting, which, according to the governor, is subject to revocation by consulting the ballot itself.
Political dispute
Fox Business coverage features strongly partisan positions. White House advisor Stephen Miller classified the episode as a "criminal conspiracy" and associated a Democratic victory with agendas such as tax increases and restrictions on fossil fuels, an assessment attributed to him. On The Five, Democratic commentator Jessica Tarlov said it is not yet known whether anything illegal occurred and cited cases in which Republicans used similar tactics. The other participants argued that the investigation should continue even if the senator is re-elected.
For the investor, the video does not provide market data. The point of attention is the uncertainty about who will control the Senate, which could affect the environment for issues such as taxes, public spending and energy policy. There is also the possibility of contesting the result in Alaska, which, according to Fox Business, could prolong the uncertainty after the vote.
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