Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) on Wednesday called for a Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation into the campaign of Democrat Mary Peltola following reports that her team allegedly recruited candidates to affect Alaska’s U.S. Senate election. Scott described the reported efforts as a coordinated attempt to deceive voters and stated his belief that such actions constitute a criminal offense.
The calls for a federal probe follow a Wednesday report from the New York Times alleging that Peltola campaign aides, lawyers, and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) staffers were involved in recruiting candidates, including a man named Daniel J. Sullivan. The recruitment of a candidate sharing a name with incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan (R) has led to claims from Scott and Donald Trump that the effort was intended to confuse the electorate.
The Peltola campaign and the DSCC have denied involvement in the recruitment efforts. A Peltola legal representative characterized the allegations as baseless. These developments come amid an existing DOJ lawsuit against the state of Alaska, which argues that the presence of two candidates named Sullivan on the ballot could give Peltola an unfair advantage. Attorney General Todd Blanche stated the lawsuit aims to ensure election officials can determine if voters were misled.
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) announced late Wednesday that the state has opened its own investigation to determine if the alleged recruitment violates state laws. Former President Trump also criticized the situation, characterizing it as election fraud and suggesting that Peltola should be barred from the race. Peltola has asked a federal judge to dismiss the DOJ's lawsuit regarding the ballot names.
Individual voters in Alaska would notice the impact of these developments at the polling place, where they must distinguish between incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan (R) and the second candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan, on their ballots. The DOJ's lawsuit specifically targets whether this duplication will cause confusion that alters the final vote count. A ruling or investigative finding before the November 3 election could change how local election officials process and verify these specific ballots.
Beyond the immediate election, the case sets a potential precedent for how the DOJ monitors candidate recruitment and ballot naming conventions in states with unique voting systems. The controversy has already drawn national attention from high-ranking federal officials and former presidents, signaling its role in the broader partisan contest for legislative power. The next steps include a potential federal court ruling on Peltola's motion to dismiss the DOJ lawsuit and the findings of the state-level probe ordered by Gov. Dunleavy. The general election is scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, 2026.