Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) suggested Thursday his state’s midterm election certification process may be “stopped or changed” due to its investigation into ballot stacking allegations against Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola. NewsNation’s Blake Burman asked Dunleavy about the state’s probe into Peltola, which the governor announced earlier that day, and whether it could impact […]
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Alaska Governor: Election Certification ‘Could Be Stopped’ Due to Peltola Probe
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Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) suggested Thursday his state’s midterm election certification process may be “stopped or changed” due to its investigation into ballot stacking allegations against Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola.
NewsNation’s Blake Burman asked Dunleavy about the state’s probe into Peltola, which the governor announced earlier that day, and whether it could impact how election officials plan to certify midterm winners.
“We are going to investigate it. We’re going to follow the law,” Dunleavy told Burman. “We are ready to do whatever we need to do to ensure that our elections are deemed credible.”
“If we find out there’s wrongdoing, and if that means that the certification then is stopped or changed, then that’s what happens,” the governor added later in the conversation.
Burman then pressed Dunleavy on whether he believes there’s a legitimate possibility Alaska may need to stop or change its election certification, to which the GOP governor responded, “Depending upon the outcomes of this investigation. Yes.”
The New York Times reported Wednesday Peltola’s campaign recruited a man named Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. to run against incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan (R) in an effort to confuse voters. Peltola is challenging the GOP lawmaker in the Alaska Senate race.
The former congresswoman’s campaign has denied it played a role in recruiting Sullivan Jr.
But Republicans were quick to bash Peltola and called for investigations. The GOP-led House Oversight Committee announced a probe into the campaign Thursday, and the Justice Department (DOJ) expanded its existing lawsuit seeking to block certification if the senator Sullivan loses.
President Trump also accused Peltola of election fraud and said she should be removed from the ballot, calling her reported actions illegal.
Dunleavy was careful not to say definitively whether he thought Peltola’s campaign broke the law, emphasizing the state will investigate.
“We’re going to investigate everyone and every organization associated with this,” Dunleavy said. “This strikes to the heart of election integrity. You can’t just dismiss what could be a ruse that could throw an election.”
The Alaska Supreme Court ruled in late June, ahead of the state’s primaries, that Sullivan Jr. could remain on the ballot despite a previous GOP challenge. Dunleavy said Thursday he thinks the high court may have decided differently had it known about Peltola’s alleged involvement.
“We did not want this individual on our ballot. It was the Supreme Court of Alaska that made that decision,” Dunleavy said. “I think now with this additional information … they probably would have arrived at a different conclusion.”