Two Dan Sullivan Candidates Draw DOJ Subpoenas in Alaska

The Department of Justice issued subpoenas Thursday tied to an effort to place a second candidate named Dan Sullivan on Alaska's Senate ballot, according to The Guardian, which cited ABC News and the Associated Press reporting that attributed the subpoenas to sources familiar with the matter.

The race, which pits Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan against Democrat Mary Peltola, is scheduled to be decided Tuesday.

What the Timeline Shows

The sequence of events spans roughly one week. Last week, President Trump said he had ordered the Justice Department to sue to block certification of the Senate race if Sullivan does not win; that suit remains pending, the Guardian reported. On Wednesday, the New York Times reported that the push to recruit a second candidate sharing the Republican senator's name was led by Peltola's campaign, which had denied involvement for months. On Thursday, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy, a Republican, announced a state criminal inquiry into the recruitment effort. Later the same day, the Justice Department issued the subpoenas now under scrutiny.

Why a Second Dan Sullivan Appeared on the Ballot

The Times found that Peltola's campaign worked with party operatives to get a candidate with the same name as the Republican incumbent onto the ballot, an effort the newspaper reported was designed to confuse Alaska voters seeking to back the Republican senator, according to the Guardian's account of the Times findings.

How State and Federal Officials Have Responded

Dunleavy's criminal inquiry targets the ballot-recruitment effort itself. The federal subpoenas, reported by ABC News and the Associated Press, arrived one day after the Times' findings became public. The Guardian noted the subpoenas came the same day the Justice Department also issued subpoenas to California election officials, part of what the paper described as an escalation of federal scrutiny over election administration.

What Legal Experts Say About DOJ's Authority

Justin Levitt, a former Justice Department official under President Biden, questioned the legal basis for the inquiry. "I don't know what they're putting out subpoenas to investigate because I don't know what federal violations are implicated that DoJ would have jurisdiction over," Levitt said, according to the Guardian. "Sure makes it seem like the point of the investigation is to become the story."

The Guardian also noted that the department has historically avoided overt investigative action against candidates in the weeks before an election, or steps that could be perceived as influencing a political outcome.

Key Numbers in the Case

• 1 Senate seat is on the ballot in Alaska's contested race, set for decision Tuesday, Nov. 3.
• 2 candidates named Dan Sullivan appeared on the ballot after the recruitment effort the Times attributed to Peltola's campaign.

The pending federal lawsuit, the state criminal inquiry, and the new subpoenas all remain open as of Thursday, with the election outcome and any certification fight still ahead.

For related federal election scrutiny, see HTT News' coverage of DOJ subpoenas issued to California election workers.