Alaska Senate race hit by name confusion dispute
A criminal probe begins after a report links a candidate named Dan J. Sullivan to Mary Peltola's campaign.
By Giulia Marshall ·
Voters in the Alaska Senate race are facing a new complication as a criminal investigation opens into a candidate with the same last name as the incumbent. Governor Mike Dunleavy ordered the probe to determine if any laws were broken during the recruitment of Dan J. Sullivan, a retired schoolteacher.
Senator Dan S. Sullivan accused his opponent, Mary Peltola, of treating Alaskans with disdain. He made the claim during a CNN appearance, citing a New York Times report. That report, based on interviews and campaign finance records, suggested Peltola's campaign and national Democrats recruited the second Sullivan to split the Republican vote.
Peltola has denied any involvement in the recruitment. In a PBS interview, she said, "I honestly have no idea" about the efforts. She described the media attention on the name issue as a distraction from what she sees as the main concerns for the state. She pointed specifically to high prices driven by the war in Iran.
The candidate says her focus remains on lowering costs and fixing systemic problems in Washington. The dispute has intensified in a race that polls call a toss-up. Peltola currently holds a slight lead in recent surveys.
The outcome of the election could shift the balance of power in the federal government. Democrats need to flip four seats to gain a majority in the Senate. With voting continuing, the race remains one of the most closely watched in the country.
