The U.S. Justice Department expanded its investigation into Alaska’s Senate race on October 29, issuing more than 40 subpoenas and document-preservation requests linked to the candidacy of a man whose name resembles Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan’s. Democrat Mary Peltola denied knowing about any effort to recruit that candidate. The department also amended a separate lawsuit seeking a possible pause in certification under specified conditions. None of these developments establishes that voters were misled or that any campaign broke the law.
What changed on October 29
Reuters reported, citing a person familiar with the matter, that federal investigators sent more than 40 subpoenas and requests to preserve records, including to Peltola’s campaign and to the campaign of Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired teacher running in the same election. Further requests were expected. A subpoena is an investigative measure, not a finding of wrongdoing.
Separately, CBS News reported that the Justice Department amended its civil complaint, citing new reporting about alleged efforts by people associated with Peltola’s campaign to recruit a similarly named contender. The department is seeking a way to contest certification if the result meets the conditions set out in its case. A court has not granted that relief.
Two Sullivans on the ballot — and competing accounts
Voters will see Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan, identified as the incumbent, and Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., who will appear without a party affiliation. Alaska’s Supreme Court previously ruled that the second Sullivan was eligible to appear on the ballot. The candidates are distinct individuals.
After reports alleged that Democratic operatives helped recruit the second Sullivan to divert votes from the incumbent, Peltola told supporters in Juneau on October 29 that she had not known about the other candidate. Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. has also denied running at Democratic direction. Those denials and the allegations are reported by the Associated Press.
Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy separately ordered a state investigation. President Donald Trump called for Peltola’s prosecution and questioned whether she could take her seat if elected. Those statements are political positions; no criminal charge or determination of guilt against Peltola was established in the reporting reviewed for this update.
What Votendi’s Alaska polling shows — and does not show
One published Data for Progress survey tracked by Votendi, conducted October 8–16 among 694 likely voters, recorded first-choice support of 47% for Mary Peltola, 44% for incumbent Dan Sullivan, and 4% for Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. The three-point gap between the leading contenders is a single survey finding, not the current weighted polling average or a forecast.
The 4% figure does not demonstrate that those voters intended to support the incumbent. Nor can it simply be added to his first-choice tally. Alaska uses ranked-choice voting, so later-round transfers depend on voters’ actual rankings, and some ballots may exhaust. Whether confusion occurred is a separate factual question from how a survey measures preferences.
The election-night question: certification is not counting
The key new development is institutional rather than numerical. With the November 3 election approaching, the Justice Department’s expanded inquiry and amended lawsuit create an additional potential dispute over certifying a result. That is different from the ordinary counting and ranked-choice tabulation of ballots. It is also different from a court having already ordered a delay.
Votendi’s earlier October 23 explainer describes the original complaint and the conditional nature of the government’s requested intervention. The October 29 subpoenas and amended filing are a development in that existing case, not proof that a challenged outcome will be overturned.
Votendi takeaway: Alaska now has two distinct uncertainties to track: voter preferences in a closely scrutinized Senate contest, and whether the federal litigation could affect certification after votes are counted. The new subpoenas change the legal and procedural story; they do not, by themselves, change a measured polling average.
Sources: Reuters, Oct. 29; Associated Press, Oct. 29; CBS News, Oct. 29; Votendi poll record.
