Report: Alaska Senate candidate Daniel J. Sullivan flees town amid alleged Democrat-led ‘hoax’ campaign, criminal probe

 

Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., the media-frenzied independent candidate running for the U.S. Senate in Alaska who shares his name with incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan, reportedly left his hometown of Petersburg earlier this week.

A source told CBS News that Sullivan was seen on a flight to Anchorage on Monday. His departure comes amid recent reports claiming that staffers associated with Democrat candidate Mary Peltola and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) helped recruit him to enter the race in an attempt to divide the vote and confuse Republican voters.

Both the Peltola campaign and the DSCC still deny recruiting Sullivan or coordinating with his campaign. Nonetheless, Sullivan’s current whereabouts remain unknown.

Opponents have spent months arguing that the candidate was coerced to enter the high-stakes race solely to mislead voters, leading Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) to dismiss his namesake as a “sham candidate.” In Petersburg, dozens of residents told news outlets they have seen no campaign presence, brochures, or yard signs for the former elementary school teacher since he announced his candidacy last spring.

Although state election officials initially ruled Sullivan ineligible for the ballot on the grounds that his filing was meant to mislead voters, the Alaska Supreme Court ultimately reversed that decision, ruling that he met the legal qualifications to run.

During a joint press appearance, U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman and FBI Special Agent in Charge Matthew Schlegel announced on Friday that the months-long investigation into the ballot scheme was accelerated following the bombshell New York Times report that claimed Peltola’s campaign and the DSCC orchestrated a plot to place a spoiler candidate on the ballot to confuse voters.

“Recent reporting has resulted in troubling new revelations,” Heyman said, adding that he assigned “several attorneys” in his office to work on the case. 

Heyman also confirmed that both a civil lawsuit and a criminal probe are now underway regarding the alleged ballot sabotage scheme, though he did not specify the exact legal violations being investigated.

“We will not let anyone or any group undermine this election,” he said. “When credible information comes out, we are committed to pursuing that information to deceive voters, and we will act on it. We are acting on it intensely and swiftly.”

Credit: oann.com