FBI Contacts Donors to Second Dan Sullivan in Alaska Senate Race as Federal Probe Widens

The FBI on Friday began contacting donors to Dan J. Sullivan, a U.S. Senate candidate in Alaska who shares a name with Republican incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, asking whether they had been deceived, as federal authorities widened a criminal investigation. Agents have contacted donors in at least three places. In Petersburg, the fishing community accessible only by air or water where the candidate lives, an Anchorage-based agent visited a boat dealership and left a business card for Charles Flint, who gave $500 over the summer. Federal officials had confirmed the criminal probe, and the Justice Department also asked a court on Friday to isolate certain Alaska ballots to examine possible voter confusion. Flint said he has known Dan J. Sullivan for years as a teacher and musician. He said the agent asked Flint's son whether Flint had been misled, and that he felt no confusion. Separately, Sen. Sullivan told CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union" that the second Sullivan would take many votes from him and called his presence on the ballot a Democratic scheme.

Left-leaning outlets MS NOW and HuffPost focus on the investigation and the donors. MS NOW's headline counts at least three donors visited, and its excerpt says they know the other Sullivan personally and meant to fund his campaign. HuffPost runs the AP report, leading with the Petersburg visit and Flint's account, including his statement that he was not misled and plans to rank Democrat Mary Peltola first. Neither excerpt centers the senator's accusation. Right-leaning RealClearPolitics instead leads with the senator's CNN interview, quoting his claim of a "secret plan to cheat" and framing the second candidacy as showing Democrats' disdain for Alaskans, with Democrats recruiting the candidate in the ranked-choice contest. Its excerpt does not mention the FBI donor visits. Both sides cover the same name overlap and ballot confusion issue, but the left relies on donor testimony that undercuts the confusion claim, while the right relies on the incumbent's allegation of a Democratic scheme. TMZ echoes the senator's account, while AP matches the donor-focused report.