There Are TWO Dan Sullivans On Alaska's Senate Ballot — And Now The DOJ Wants To Know How That Happened

Stop scrolling, because this one sounds made up: Alaska's Senate ballot has TWO candidates named Dan Sullivan, a criminal investigation is now under way, and voters head to the polls on Tuesday. Yes, really.

The race is one of the tightest in the country, so the stakes are anything but silly.

What Is Going On?

Senator Dan S Sullivan is the Republican incumbent seeking re-election. Also running is Dan J Sullivan, a retired teacher who lives in a remote fishing village. Both have been in the race for some time, according to BBC News.

The controversy erupted this week after The New York Times reported that people connected to Democratic candidate Mary Peltola's campaign, along with senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, worked to recruit spoiler candidates, including Dan J Sullivan. The BBC notes the Times said it had seen text messages and interviewed 12 people. The BBC has not independently verified that reporting.

What Is Denied

Peltola has denied any knowledge of a scheme. "I knew nothing about any other candidate on the ballot except for me and the incumbent," she told voters on Thursday, per the BBC. Her campaign has denied the Times report, and Dan J Sullivan has denied any links to her campaign.

Senator Sullivan does not believe her. He told CNN's Jake Tapper that "she's continually lying to the Alaskan people," The Guardian reports.

The Government Steps In

The legal side is moving fast, according to the BBC:

• Alaska's Republican governor, Mike Dunleavy, ordered an official inquiry.
• The US attorney for Alaska said there are both civil and criminal investigations ongoing. No charges had been filed as of Friday evening.
• The Justice Department has reportedly begun issuing subpoenas to Democratic officials allegedly connected to the recruitment effort, per CBS News as cited by the BBC.
• The Trump administration asked a federal judge to order state officials to "preserve and segregate" ballots that rank Dan J Sullivan, to investigate whether voter confusion played a part.

Alaska uses ranked-choice voting, so a confused voter could in theory rank both Sullivans.

Not Everyone Is On Board

Alaska's Republican attorney general asked the court to toss the lawsuit, calling the request "inappropriate and not even possible given Alaskan voters' vital right to ballot secrecy," the BBC reports.

Scott Kendall, an attorney who worked on Senator Lisa Murkowski's campaigns, told the BBC he is sceptical the alleged actions broke the law. Alaska has no specific good-faith requirement for candidates, he said, and spoiler candidates sometimes appear. He said the bigger risk to Peltola is "absolute reputational harm."

The Guardian adds a twist: the Washington Post reported that Republicans tried to boost unviable Democratic candidates in Alaska's primaries too, via a Republican super PAC that promoted two Senate candidates who did not live in the state.

What Happens Next

Senator Sullivan told CNN he will accept the election results, even if he loses. Republicans including President Trump have called for Peltola to be disqualified and prosecuted, according to the Guardian. A federal judge has expedited the case and will weigh motions to dismiss from Alaska election officials.

The non-partisan Cook Political Report rates the race a toss-up, and it could decide control of the Senate.

The Tea ☕

• The New York Times alleges Peltola-linked aides helped recruit a second Dan Sullivan. Peltola and Dan J Sullivan deny it, and the BBC hasn't verified the report.
• The DOJ, the governor and the federal courts are all involved, but no charges have been filed.
• The race is a toss-up and could decide who controls the Senate.

Should voters be left to sort out two candidates with the same name, or does a late-stage investigation like this cross a line? Tell us in the comments.

Sources: BBC News | The Guardian | Sky News