Politics1 min read

Alaska's all-important Senate race is roiled by a report on alleged spoiler candidate

By · Via NPR · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Governor Mike Dunleavy ordered the Department of Public Safety to examine whether any campaign laws were violated following a report detailing alleged operative involvement. Both Democratic challenger Mary Peltola and the party's Senate campaign arm have firmly denied playing any role in boosting the second Dan Sullivan. Meanwhile, the Justice Department updated a court filing seeking to delay election certification in the event of an extremely narrow outcome. Under Alaska's ranked-choice ballot, observers worry that voter confusion between the two identical candidate names could distort voter rankings.

Key points

  • The Justice Department cited the new investigative reporting in an amended complaint aimi…: The Justice Department cited the new investigative reporting in an amended complaint aiming to delay certification if the race is close.
  • Democratic challenger Mary Peltola and national party committees have repeatedly denied p…: Democratic challenger Mary Peltola and national party committees have repeatedly denied participating in the alleged spoiler scheme.
  • Political analysts noted that voter confusion could lead participants to rank both candid…: Political analysts noted that voter confusion could lead participants to rank both candidates named Sullivan under the state's voting system.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Alaska's governor is ordering an investigation after a New York Times report on the state's toss-up U.S. Senate race, which could determine which party controls the chamber next year.

That story detailed efforts by Democratic campaign operatives to recruit what Republicans have long alleged is a spoiler candidate whose presence on the ballot could confuse voters and siphon support from the GOP incumbent. The two candidates share the name Dan Sullivan.

NPR hasn't independently confirmed the Times' reporting, but it's roiled the Senate race just days before Election Day. Democrat Mary Peltola, a former congresswoman, is hoping to flip the seat for her party.

The Times' story is based on interviews and communications among Peltola's attorneys and advisers, as well as senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Democrats have long denied involvement in the non-incumbent Sullivan's candidacy, and both the Peltola campaign and the DSCC reiterated those denials after the Times story published.

While campaigning Wednesday, Peltola called the story a distraction, according to Alaska Public Media, and the non-incumbent Sullivan did not respond to Alaska Public Media's…

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