Alaska Governor Signals Possible Certification Delay Amid Probe of Same-Name Senate Candidate

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a Republican, said Thursday that the state could withhold certification of the U.S. Senate election result, particularly if Democrat Mary Peltola defeats Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan, as state and federal authorities investigate how a second candidate named Dan Sullivan got on the ballot. Dunleavy told NewsNation's Blake Burman that the state is ready to do what is needed to ensure the election is seen as credible. The Justice Department sued last week to block certification if the incumbent loses, citing possible voter confusion, and on Thursday amended its filing to cite New York Times reporting that operatives aligned with Peltola recruited the challenger, a retired teacher from Petersburg, and to describe a conspiracy to undermine election integrity. The Times' main source, Peltola's former campaign manager Elisa Rios, said Peltola was not involved but was aware. Peltola has denied involvement, her team called the Justice Department claims nonsense, and her campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said in a filing that they lacked knowledge to admit or deny an allegation about the challenger's motives. Peltola has narrowly led all polls this month. The midterms are days away.

Right-leaning outlets Fox News and The Blaze lead with Dunleavy and the 'Decoy Dan' label, presenting the matter as an alleged Democratic ballot-stacking scheme. Fox News Digital features an exclusive interview in which Dunleavy says the Times uncovered details state officials lacked when they challenged the second Sullivan last summer, and he blames ranked-choice voting, saying a traditional primary would have screened him out. The Blaze stresses a criminal investigation and the possibility that certification is frozen next week. Neither excerpt includes Peltola's response. Alternative outlet Newsweek, by contrast, leads with Peltola's team dismissing the claims as nonsense and gives the Justice Department filing, Rios's comments and the campaign's court response. Axios, also in that group, frames Dunleavy's remarks as complicating Peltola's path to the Senate. Left-leaning outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing, while right-leaning and alternative outlets had.