Federal prosecutors announce investigation into Alaska Senate race

As of November 4, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has dramatically escalated its investigation into Alaska's Senate race, issuing numerous subpoenas and target letters to individuals involved in efforts to place a candidate named Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., also known as "Decoy Dan," on the ballot alongside Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan. The DOJ, at President Trump’s direction, is pursuing this probe after reports surfaced that Democrat Mary Peltola's campaign collaborated with party operatives to recruit another candidate with the same name as Sullivan to confuse voters and potentially draw votes away from him. This investigation includes letters sent to Democratic election lawyer Marc Elias and other Democrats warning them they could be targets in a federal criminal case related to these efforts. The DOJ has also amended its civil lawsuit to block certification of results if voter confusion is deemed an issue, based on details from the New York Times report.