Alaska's all-important Senate race is roiled by a report on alleged spoiler candidate

Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy, a Republican, has told the state's Department of Public Safety to look into whether Democratic efforts to put a second Dan Sullivan on the ballot broke state law. The order follows a New York Times investigation, drawn from communications among attorneys and advisers for Democrat Mary Peltola and senior Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee aides, describing recruitment of a namesake challenger to Senator Dan Sullivan, the Republican incumbent. The contest could decide Senate control, and Election Day is days away. NPR has not independently confirmed the Times findings, according to NPR · PBS NewsHour.

Peltola's campaign and the committee both deny any role, and the other Sullivan has said running was his own choice. Peltola dismissed the matter as a distraction. Nate Adams, speaking for the incumbent, accused her campaign of deceiving Alaskans for months. President Trump labeled the episode "Voter Fraud at the Highest Level." The Justice Department had already asked a court to postpone certification if the incumbent loses narrowly, and on Thursday it amended that complaint to cite the new reporting. Legal experts had called its original case weak.

It is unclear which laws might apply. Elaine Kamarck of the Brookings Institution called such campaign tricks fairly standard.

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