Alaska governor orders probe into election same-name 'spoiler'

Alaska's governor has ordered a probe into allegations that the campaign of a Democratic candidate for the US Senate recruited a man with the same name as her Republican opponent to run for office in a bid to siphon off votes.

Governor Mike Dunleavy, a Republican, called the alleged recruitment of a "spoiler candidate," which was first reported by The New York Times, an apparent attempt to manipulate the election and "deliberately confuse voters and misdirect their votes."

In a post on X late on Wednesday, Dunleavy said he was directing the Department of Public Safety to "investigate whether this scheme violated Alaska's laws and whether criminal charges or civil action are warranted."

"Alaskans have a fundamental right to vote for the candidate they actually intend to support," he said. "Deliberately tricking voters into casting their ballots for someone else strikes at the integrity of our elections."

The Times reported on Wednesday that aides to Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola had secretly recruited "spoiler" candidates, including one with the same name as Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan.

President Donald Trump demanded on Wednesday that Peltola and the man he called the "FAKE Dan Sullivan" be removed from next week's ballot.

Peltola and any other alleged accomplices should be prosecuted, Trump said. "To me, that's voter fraud at the highest level," he said.

Daniel J. Sullivan, a retired teacher from a remote Alaskan fishing community, has said he entered the Senate race of his own volition.

The Times noted that recruiting candidates to split an opponent's vote -- a practice known as ballot stacking -- is generally legal and has been used by both parties in Alaska.

The newspaper's investigation did not establish any criminal wrongdoing.

Peltola's former campaign manager Elisa Rios told the Times the candidate was "definitely aware" of the project but was not directly involved.

The revelations came several days after Trump ordered the Justice Department to sue Alaska over the presence of the second Sullivan on the ballot.

The lawsuit seeks to delay certification if Peltola narrowly defeats the incumbent and votes cast for his namesake could have changed the outcome.

In June Alaska's Supreme Court upheld the retired teacher's right to run, rejecting Republican efforts to remove him from the ballot.

The state has asked a federal judge to dismiss the Justice Department's lawsuit, arguing it has no legal basis.