Dunleavy Orders Review of Second Sullivan Ballot Entry

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy said Thursday that his office is reviewing evidence reported by The New York Times regarding the campaign of retired schoolteacher Dan Sullivan of Petersburg, whose name appears alongside Sen. Dan Sullivan on the November ballot. Dunleavy said his administration will determine whether any laws were broken. "We're compelled to do an investigation on behalf of the people of Alaska," Dunleavy said.

The governor said Times reporting identified details state officials did not have when they first challenged the Petersburg candidate's filing this summer. Dunleavy said the reporting described efforts by operatives connected to Democratic nominee Mary Peltola's campaign to recruit candidates named Dan Sullivan from various parts of the state. The Petersburg candidate initially told the Division of Elections he was not recruited, according to the Times reporting Dunleavy cited.

Alaska's primary system sends the top four finishers to a general election where voters rank candidates by preference. Dunleavy said a traditional party primary would have kept the second Sullivan from appearing in November. "This would have never happened if we didn't have ranked-choice voting," Dunleavy said.

The timeline began in June, when the Petersburg Sullivan surfaced and state officials challenged his candidacy. The matter moved through the courts and reached the Alaska Supreme Court, which ruled both men could appear on the ballot, with the incumbent marked "incumbent." The Petersburg candidate had asked the Division of Elections to list him as Daniel S. Sullivan, using the incumbent senator's middle initial, according to Dunleavy. His campaign website also resembled the senator's site, the governor said.

Dunleavy said state officials were unaware of the Times reporting at the time of the court proceedings. "We knew there was a problem, but the courts had decided," he said. "And then of course, the article comes out in the Times and there's a whole list of issues that we were never privy to."

Peltola's campaign has denied involvement with either Sullivan campaign, and Peltola called the matter a distraction during a campaign appearance Wednesday. Former FEC Chair Hans von Spakovsky said investigators should examine whether anyone paid by Peltola or another political organization provided services to the Petersburg Sullivan campaign. Von Spakovsky pointed to an FEC case involving Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign, which accepted assistance from Australian Labor Party members whose travel and stipends were paid by that organization. The FEC determined the arrangement was a prohibited $24,422 in-kind foreign contribution; the campaign and the Australian Labor Party each paid $14,500 in civil penalties to settle without admitting liability.

Dunleavy said elections in Alaska are overseen by Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, whose office is managing early voting and polling places. The governor's office is responsible for ensuring laws are executed, he said. Dunleavy said the review will continue as long as necessary and will examine whether any civil or criminal violations occurred. Election Day is Nov. 3.