Alaska Governor Says Election Certification Could Be Halted Amid Peltola Campaign Probe

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy said the state may withhold certification of its Senate election results while it investigates Democratic candidate Mary Peltola’s campaign.

Dunleavy was asked during an Oct. 29 interview with NewsNation whether the state would certify the election results if Peltola emerged as a winner while the investigation was still ongoing. Dunleavy said the state would need more information before deciding.

“We are going to investigate it, we’re going to follow the law and if we conclude that there were things that should not have happened, let me put it that way, that are illegal, we will act on that. And that may, in fact, impact whether somebody is seated in the U.S. Senate,” he said.

The governor said any decision on certifying the state’s election results would involve discussions with the head of the U.S. Senate.

“We are ready to do whatever we need to do to ensure that our elections are deemed credible,” he added. “We’re going to investigate if we find out there’s wrongdoing. And if that means that the certification then is stopped or changed, then that’s what happens.”

Related Stories

Dunleavy told NTD News on Oct. 29 that the candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan, a retired teacher from Petersburg, had allegedly asked the Division of Elections in late May to list him on the ballot as “Daniel S. Sullivan,” even though his middle name does not begin with S.

Sen. Dan Sullivan uses the middle initial S.

The governor said the candidate’s request raised questions about the legitimacy of his candidacy. He also noted that Daniel J. Sullivan’s campaign website appears to closely mirror the incumbent’s website.

Dunleavy said the Division of Elections rejected Daniel J. Sullivan’s request in June, prompting a legal challenge. The Alaska Supreme Court subsequently ruled that the candidate could appear on the ballot.

“Now that we see more information coming out, we believe that this thing is probably much deeper, much broader than we even initially thought,” the governor said.

“We believe this individual is in fact running to pull votes using the same name as Dan Sullivan in order to throw the election towards candidate Peltola.”

Peltola’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Peltola told supporters in Juneau, Alaska’s capital, on Oct. 29 that she “knew nothing about any other candidate” on the Alaska ballot except for herself and the incumbent.

“I just want to clear the air,” she said. “I knew nothing about any other candidate on the ballot except for me and the incumbent. That is all I have ever known about. I am not interested in tricking voters.”

Tom Ozimek and The Associated Press contributed to this report.