Justice Department escalates probe into Alaska Senate race with new subpoenas

The Justice Department issued a series of new grand jury subpoenas on Thursday as it deepened its criminal investigation into an Alaska Senate race marred by a candidate sharing a name with the incumbent.

A person familiar with the matter told the Associated Press that the subpoenas seek testimony and documents, alongside demands to preserve records. These actions followed a report by The New York Times indicating that Democratic candidate Mary Peltola’s campaign played a role in recruiting Dan J. Sullivan Jr. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the probe is ongoing, said more subpoenas were expected later that day. The total number of subpoenas and their specific recipients were not immediately determined.

The federal move marks a sharp departure from historical practice, as the Justice Department typically avoids overt investigative steps against candidates in the weeks preceding an election. The agency has investigated allegations for months that Dan J. Sullivan Jr., a retired schoolteacher from Petersburg, entered the race to confuse voters and benefit Peltola’s campaign. President Donald Trump has called for the criminal prosecution of Peltola and her team, while his earlier directive to sue to block certification of the race if Peltola wins remains in effect.

Attorney General Todd Blanche declined to discuss specific criminal cases in a Wednesday interview with Fox News but accused Democrats of "cheating." He stated that they were trying to take votes away from the incumbent by putting up a person with the same name rather than running on issues. In a separate move, Republican Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy ordered an investigation into Peltola, citing the newspaper's reporting as evidence of an organized effort to manipulate the election by recruiting candidates with confusing names.

Peltola’s campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the governor's order. During a campaign stop in Soldotna, Peltola described the recent reporting as a distraction from policy issues, specifically Senator Sullivan’s support of the war in Iran. She called the news cycle "stuff to sell newspapers" and "stuff to get subscriptions." Vice President JD Vance also weighed in on Thursday, stating that Peltola has pretended to have no connection to a candidate explicitly designed to confuse Alaskan voters. He called the situation "disgraceful" and supported a probe into possible election fraud.

The state's legal process regarding the second Sullivan candidate began earlier this year when a top elections official ruled him ineligible for the primary ballot due to a purpose to confuse or mislead. The Alaska Supreme Court later reversed that decision, ruling him qualified to run. On the ballot, the incumbent appears as "Dan S. Sullivan," identified as a registered Republican, while the challenger appears as "Daniel J. Sullivan Jr." with no party affiliation.

The New York Times reported that interviews, text messages, and documents prepared for a potential lawsuit showed Peltola’s team aimed to coax candidates into the race to split support for the GOP senator. In June, Dan J. Sullivan Jr. denied running at the behest of Democrats, stating he had "zero, none, zilch" contact with Peltola’s campaign. The race is one of a few Senate contests expected to determine control of the chamber in Tuesday's midterms.