FBI Ramps up Probe Into Alaska Democrat’s Campaign

WHO:

NPR - Alaska U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman said the criminal investigation had been ongoing for several months.

NPR - Alaska Assistant U.S. Attorney E. Bryan Wilson filed the Justice Department’s request to preserve and segregate ballots.

NPR - The Justice Department also sought answers from Mary Peltola’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in its civil case.

NPR - Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy said he had ordered an investigation into whether violations occurred.

CNN - The New York Times quoted Mary Peltola’s former campaign manager making new allegations about the alleged recruitment effort; Peltola has denied knowing about the plan.

CNN - A woman who answered the door at Thomas Datwyler’s Wisconsin home said he “wouldn’t want to talk” about his Senate-race activities.

CNN - Datwyler said in a video on his company’s Instagram account, “The work is so much more important than the noise and the press that attack me with meaningless, meritless articles.”

CNN - Conservative Senate candidate Gerald “Jerry” Heikes, a drywall contractor, said a man recruited him with a promise to “make things happen for you”; Heikes said he did not remember the man’s name.

CNN - Wisconsin political consultant Thomas Datwyler is treasurer of multiple PACs spending on Senate races; he has served as treasurer for more than 180 PACs registered since the beginning of 2025, according to FEC records.

CNN - Libertarian Senate candidate William Redpath said he had never met Datwyler, did not know who was funding the support for his candidacy, and had not seen the PAC’s ads before CNN contacted him.

CNN - Michael Beckel, Issue One’s director of money-in-politics reform, said secret financing of ads “can erode public confidence in the electoral process.”

CNN - David Keating, president of the Institute for Free Speech, said PACs supporting candidates is “part of democracy” and “better than the alternatives.”

Newsweek - Federal authorities are investigating allegations involving a namesake candidate and Alaska voters.

NBC News - The FBI is investigating Democrat Mary Peltola’s campaign and allegations involving a candidate with the same name as her Republican opponent.

NBC News - Steve Patterson reported on the investigation.

WHAT:

NPR - Michael Heyman said recent reporting on the alleged recruitment of Dan J. Sullivan led to a “significant surge of law enforcement assets to Alaska.”

NPR - Peltola said, “I am not interested in tricking voters,” and later said she was “so deeply offended by these accusations” and had “no idea” whether anyone on her campaign was involved in recruiting Dan J. Sullivan.

NPR - The Justice Department argued there was a “substantial risk” that Dan J. Sullivan’s candidacy would mislead voters and undermine electoral integrity.

NPR - Alaska state attorneys argued the ranked-choice voting system addresses possible confusion because voters can rank both Sullivans.

NPR - Peltola said former campaign manager Elisa Rios had been fired before the primary; Peltola said, “If I could fire them again, I'd be happy to fire them again.”

CNN - A Datwyler-linked PAC spent more than $3.8 million on ads, texting and direct mail attacking Jon Husted and supporting William Redpath.

CNN - Sportsmans Alliance of Maine Action Fund reported spending more than $62,000 supporting Susan Collins.

CNN - Datwyler said he had “served as treasurer for more conservative committees than any other professional in the US” in the previous election cycle; a lawyer for Datwyler said his listing as treasurer for committees aligned with George Santos was unauthorized.

NPR - The Justice Department asked a judge to order state election officials to preserve and segregate ballots ranking Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., to investigate possible voter confusion; it requested a decision by Monday.

NPR - Federal prosecutors issued dozens of grand jury subpoenas and requests to preserve records, according to a person familiar with the matter.

NPR - The Justice Department’s civil lawsuit seeks to block certification of the Senate race if the incumbent loses.

NPR - Alaska state attorneys argued that ballots are commingled and cannot be segregated without violating ballot-secrecy protections; they said the ballot identified the incumbent as “Dan S. Sullivan, Republican and incumbent” and the challenger as “Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., with no party affiliation.”

NPR - Alaska Democrats sued state election officials, alleging absentee in-person voting sites did not open as advertised in some rural communities; the state elections director said most of 18 highlighted sites had opened.

NPR - President Trump said Peltola and Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. should be prosecuted and told Attorney General Todd Blanche to make his own decision.

CNN - One Datwyler-linked PAC filed an updated Federal Election Commission registration naming a new treasurer.

CNN - Heikes placed fifth in Alaska’s primary and advanced to the general election after Democrat David Leslie dropped out; Heikes had not reported campaign spending, and Right for Alaska shut down after the primary.

CNN - The FEC fined two other campaigns for violations: Rodney Davis’s campaign for not timely refunding excess contributions and Joe Kent’s campaign for missing required 48-hour contribution notices.

CNN - The Campaign Legal Center filed a complaint alleging ALF PAC misattributed the source of a $250,000 contribution. Another complaint alleged Brandon Herrera’s campaign used a company “as a shell entity to conceal” vendors, including one with an address linked to Datwyler; a third alleged a Wisconsin congressional candidate used a “straw donor” scheme involving $37,500. The complaints remained pending.

CNN - Investigations into Datwyler and political groups he served as treasurer for were opened by attorneys general in Mississippi and Tennessee; neither resulted in charges.

CNN - In 2021, Our First Principles Fund spent more than $60,000 promoting Virginia gubernatorial candidate Princess Blanding and opposing another candidate; Blanding received less than 1% of the vote.

NY Post - Alaska’s top federal prosecutor said, “As we speak, law enforcement around the country are taking investigative steps with respect to the criminal investigation.”

CNN - Two Datwyler-linked PACs spent more than $3.75 million attacking Sen. Daniel S. Sullivan and supporting Heikes; Red Alaska PAC reported an additional $10,000 in spending.

CNN - Buckeye Freedom PAC reported spending more than $3.8 million attacking Ohio Sen. Jon Husted and supporting Redpath.

CNN - Right for Alaska spent more than $2.3 million in Alaska’s Senate primary to attack Sullivan and support Heikes and Earl Southworth; records later showed almost all its funding came from the Sixteen Thirty Fund and Liberty Force Action Fund.

CNN - A Republican super PAC funded a PAC that spent more than $800,000 promoting a Green Party candidate and another minor Democratic candidate in Alaska’s Senate race while opposing Peltola.

CNN - Datwyler-linked PACs Alaska Values PAC and Red Alaska PAC had not reported their donors; because they began spending during the campaign’s final two weeks, they were not required to disclose donors until after Election Day.

CNN - A Datwyler-linked PAC reported spending more than $62,000 supporting Sen. Susan Collins.

CNN - The campaign of then-Indiana Sen. Mike Braun paid the FEC a $159,000 penalty in 2024 over failure to correctly disclose loans totaling more than $11 million.

Newsweek - Federal authorities have “surged” resources into a probe over claims that a namesake candidate was recruited to confuse Alaska voters.

NBC News - The FBI is surging agents to Alaska as part of a criminal investigation into allegations that Peltola’s campaign tried to secretly trick voters by recruiting a candidate with the same name as her Republican opponent.

WHERE:

NPR - The FBI visited a boat dealership in Petersburg, Alaska, and asked its owner, who had donated to Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.’s campaign, whether the candidacy had misled him; he said it had not.

Newsweek - The probe concerns Alaska voters.

NBC News - The FBI is surging agents to Alaska; the allegations concern Alaska voters.

WHY:

Newsweek - The probe concerns claims that recruiting a namesake candidate was intended to confuse voters.

NBC News - The criminal investigation concerns allegations that recruiting a candidate with the same name as Peltola’s Republican opponent was intended to trick voters.

HOW:

CNN - Alaska Values PAC ads portrayed Heikes as the “real conservative,” accused Sullivan of supporting transgender issues or excessive federal spending, and urged voters not to rank Sullivan.

CNN - A Buckeye Freedom PAC ad accused Husted of “pushing background checks and red flag laws” and described Redpath as “a real Second Amendment guy.”

NPR - Heyman asked the public to provide investigators with tips; he declined to identify potential crimes or investigation targets.

CNN - Datwyler’s primary treasurer duties include signing paperwork and ensuring campaign-finance compliance, rather than directing operations.

CNN - Alaska Values PAC ads urged voters to “Rank one name, leave the rest blank: Only rank Heikes” under Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system.

CNN - Federal campaign-finance disclosure rules allow groups that begin spending in the final two weeks before an election to report donors after Election Day.

Newsweek - The probe’s resources have been “surged.”

NBC News - The FBI is increasing the number of agents assigned to Alaska.

(UPDATED October 31, 2026 20:57 UTC)

Federal authorities are investigating an alleged effort to recruit a look-alike candidate in Alaska’s Senate race. The Justice Department seeks to preserve ballots, but state officials cite ballot secrecy. Mary Peltola denies knowing about the alleged plan.

(UPDATED October 31, 2026 18:58 UTC)

Federal authorities are investigating allegations that a recruited namesake candidate confused Alaska voters. The Justice Department seeks to preserve ballots and potentially block certification. Prosecutors issued subpoenas, and Governor Mike Dunleavy ordered a state investigation.

(UPDATED October 31, 2026 14:58 UTC)

The FBI has surged agents into Alaska to investigate allegations of a voter-confusing namesake candidate. Mary Peltola denies knowing about the alleged recruitment effort, while her former campaign manager raised new allegations. The probe examines whether the candidate was recruited to confuse voters in the Senate race.

(UPDATED October 31, 2026 11:58 UTC)

The FBI is surging agents to Alaska, investigating allegations involving Mary Peltola’s campaign. Authorities are probing claims that a same-name candidate was recruited to confuse voters. Meanwhile, undisclosed PACs spent millions backing Senate candidates and attacking their opponents.

(UPDATED October 31, 2026 01:03 UTC)

The FBI is surging agents to Alaska to investigate allegations involving Mary Peltola’s campaign. Authorities are examining claims the campaign recruited a candidate sharing her Republican opponent’s name. The alleged effort was intended to confuse voters, but remains under investigation.