WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
  • The Justice Department issued 30 new subpoenas and records preservation demands involving Alaska’s U.S. Senate race.
  • The investigation concerns alleged efforts to recruit another candidate named Sullivan who could draw votes from Senator Dan S. Sullivan.
  • Former Peltola campaign manager Elisa Rios said Peltola was “definitely aware,” but later attempted to retract her statements.
  • Peltola’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee deny recruiting Daniel J. Sullivan or other candidates.

The U.S. Justice Department issued 30 new grand jury subpoenas and records preservation demands Thursday as its investigation into Alaska’s U.S. Senate race rapidly expands. Sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that more than 40 subpoenas and preservation requests had been sent, with additional requests expected that same day.

The subpoenas seek documents or testimony connected to the candidacy of Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired teacher from Petersburg. He shares a name with incumbent Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan, placing his candidacy at the center of the federal investigation.

Recipients of the subpoenas have included the campaign of Mary Peltola, the Democratic nominee, and the campaign of Daniel J. Sullivan, according to a Reuters source. The expanding inquiry has already been active for several months.

Investigators are examining whether coordinated activity involving Peltola’s campaign or the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee violated federal law. The investigation centers on reported efforts to place a second Sullivan on the Alaska ballot.

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President Donald Trump has publicly called for Peltola and her campaign to be prosecuted. The Justice Department has separately filed a civil lawsuit seeking to prevent certification of election results under certain circumstances.

That lawsuit asks a federal court in Alaska to block certification if votes cast for Daniel J. Sullivan appear to have been intended for the incumbent senator. The legal action adds another front to the dispute surrounding the presence of two similarly named candidates.

The latest subpoenas came after The New York Times published a report the previous day detailing the alleged effort. That report relied on interviews with about a dozen people, text messages, and documents associated with preparations for a potential lawsuit.

According to The Times, aides and lawyers associated with Peltola’s campaign participated in efforts that began in 2025 to identify and encourage additional candidates. Senior staff members at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee were also described as participating in the effort.

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The reported goal was to find candidates who could draw votes away from Senator Sullivan. Some accounts described the operation as a “ballot composition project,” involving campaign-connected aides, lawyers, and senior Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee staff.

The Times identified the recruitment of “decoy” Daniel Sullivan as part of that alleged project. He filed to run in May 2026 after changing his voter registration to Republican shortly before entering the race.

Daniel Sullivan then advanced from Alaska’s top four primary. His candidacy and shared name with the incumbent have become key subjects in the Justice Department’s requests for testimony and records.

Former Peltola campaign manager Elisa Rios told The Times that Peltola was not directly involved in the project. Rios nevertheless said Peltola was “definitely aware.”

Rios later attempted to retract her statements, according to the reporting. The Times said her account was consistent with other sources and materials reviewed for its report.

Democratic operative Jerid Kurtz was described in the reporting as participating in ballot-related efforts. According to accounts in The Times, Kurtz traveled in Alaska using an assumed name and contacted possible candidates, including Sullivan.

Kurtz reported that Sullivan indicated he would be willing to run if doing so would help Peltola, according to the accounts cited by The Times. The reporting placed that contact among the activities now drawing scrutiny from federal investigators.

Peltola’s campaign has denied playing any role in recruiting Daniel J. Sullivan or other candidates. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has also denied involvement in recruiting Sullivan or any additional contenders.

Those denials now sit against a widening federal inquiry, a growing number of subpoenas, and the Justice Department’s civil lawsuit. Investigators are seeking records and testimony as they examine whether the reported ballot effort crossed federal legal boundaries.

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