FBI Questions Alaska Donors in Senate Campaign Probe

FBI agents questioned donors to Dan J. Sullivan’s campaign in Petersburg, Alaska, asking whether they felt deceived as federal authorities widened a criminal probe into allegations that Democratic campaigners tried to recruit candidates against incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, R-Alaska. The agents interviewed the campaign’s dozen contributors; most live in Petersburg and together gave $7,150.

Sharon Hunter, who donated $1,000 with her husband, said agents knocked on her door Saturday. “It just seems like such a waste of our taxpayer money,” she said. “I’m a bit incredulous about their whole angle, because they’re targeting a person who’s been a real contributor in this community.”

The FBI at the Door

Anna Holmes and her husband gave $500 and were surprised when agents arrived Friday night. They told the couple they were investigating “campaign finance” violations, Holmes said, and asked whether the couple meant to donate to Sen. Sullivan’s campaign. “I told the agent I would not have done that,” she said.

The candidate at the center of the interviews is Dan J. Sullivan, who is running to unseat the Republican senator with the same first and last name. Residents of Petersburg, a fishing community of 3,000 known as “Little Norway,” said they hadn’t seen the candidate for weeks. His rustic home stood dark after agents visited friends who had donated. A yard sign outside read, “Stand Up for Democracy: Vote 2026.”

Ed Wood, a retired fisherman, said he wrote Sullivan a $1,000 check to repay support Sullivan and his wife gave to a costly, decade-long fight to block the state from logging a forested hillside above Petersburg. More than a dozen residents said they liked and admired Sullivan, describing him as a creative teacher who ran an after-school guitar program called Little Kids Rock.

At a Halloween party at Kito’s Kave, one patron dressed as an FBI agent and another wore a “Petersburg Election Scandal” prison placard bearing the charge “Being a Registered Voter in Alaska.” That’s how some locals answered the spectacle: with costumes and ridicule.

Ballots, Spoilers and State Power

Recruiting candidates to draw votes away from an opponent has been part of Alaska politics for years. The state’s open primary and ranked-choice voting systems can make it easier for lesser-known candidates to play spoilers when no contender wins a majority. The tactic drew scrutiny as incumbent Sullivan faced a serious challenge from Mary Peltola, a former U.S. representative, in a race that could determine control of the Senate.

The Alaska Division of Elections tried to remove Dan J. Sullivan from the primary ballot in June, finding that he hadn’t filed as a Republican in “good faith.” State courts overturned that finding. State officials identify Dan S. Sullivan on the ballot as the Republican and the incumbent.

A federal lawsuit brought by the Trump administration sought to revive efforts to undermine Dan J. Sullivan’s candidacy and challenge a potential Peltola victory by blocking certification of the election results. A federal judge dismissed the suit on Sunday; the Justice Department quickly appealed. The Trump administration was weighing criminal charges over “ballot stacking.” The ballot rules and legal fights are being handled by state and federal institutions, while Petersburg donors face questions at home.

Candidates Deny Coordination

Peltola denied any role in the alleged effort and sought to distance herself from a New York Times article linking a group backing her to a Democratic operative trying to recruit decoy candidates. “This is Alaska. We’re not in the business of tricking each other up here,” she told supporters at a rally in Anchorage the previous week.

Dan J. Sullivan has repeatedly said he entered the race on his own and had no contact with Peltola’s campaign. “Zero, none, zilch,” he told The Associated Press in June. Asked whether Democratic operatives had contacted him to run, he answered “no.” “This is my choice,” he said.

Amanda Ohmer, a bartender at the local Moose Lodge, supports the federal investigation. She said she was irked by friends rallying around Sullivan. “It’s sleazy,” Ohmer said. “Just because Republicans do it, too, doesn’t make it right.” The senator is seeking a third term. “My costume is the real Dan Sullivan – not the fake guy,” he joked to trick-or-treaters Saturday night.