Commentary
Alaska: two Sullivans, a federal lawsuit and an investigation
The Justice Department wants the result held up if Senator Dan Sullivan loses, and the state has opened its own inquiry.
Rotem Oreg-KaliskyOctober 29, 2026 · Translated from Hebrew · Adapted from the author's posts on X · Update on X
An unusual story from the midterms in Alaska, and from the Trump administration's involvement in them.
This past week the U.S. Justice Department went to court to demand that if the incumbent senator, Dan Sullivan (a Republican), loses to Mary Peltola (a Democrat), Alaska should not certify the result. Alaska's Republican state government rejected the demand.
Two Sullivans on the ballot
What is behind it? Alaska has many candidates on the ballot and votes by ranked choice: in each round of counting the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, until one candidate has a majority. This time, alongside Dan Sullivan and Mary Peltola, the ballot carries another candidate whose name is almost identical to the senator's: Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired teacher who recently registered as a Republican.
The Trump administration worries that the similar names will confuse some voters, split the Republican vote and make it easier for Peltola. The president himself said it is "not fair", and so, in his words, it seems to him "illegal" for someone with the same name to run in such an election.
An investigation by The New York Times, published on October 28, reported that operatives close to Peltola's campaign, and senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), helped recruit Daniel J. Sullivan to draw votes from the incumbent. Peltola and the DSCC deny it. After the report, the Justice Department widened its lawsuit and its investigation, and President Trump called on Peltola to leave the race.
Update: Alaska's Republican governor, Mike Dunleavy, ordered the state Department of Public Safety to look into whether the recruitment broke the law, The New York Times reported. Peltola says she knew nothing about the recruitment.
Holds the seat nowDan S. SullivanRepublican
Gerald Heikes
Mary Peltola
Dan J. Sullivan
Dan S. Sullivan
The midterms are next Tuesday. Alongside an expected change of control in the House (my estimate: Democrats will win a solid but not huge majority, by a margin in the twenties), there is a close fight for the Senate: swing states such as North Carolina and Georgia are already seen as clearly leaning Democratic, and solidly Republican states such as Kansas and Iowa are in play. We will keep you updated.
Sources
The views in this column are the author's own. Published with the author's permission.