Alaska probe into Dan Sullivan

News · Heat 10.0 / 10 · 9 shows · 20m airtime

Alaska's Republican governor ordered an investigation into Democratic Senate candidate Daniel J. Sullivan on October 29, 2026, asking about the Peltola campaign's recruitment of him. The Justice Department has sent dozens of new grand jury subpoenas, which officials familiar with the probe say went to people connected to the ballot-stacking effort, and is weighing a voter-rights conspiracy charge. A separate state investigation is now underway alongside the DOJ probe. President Trump said Mary Peltola should resign from the race and be prosecuted criminally. The discussion weighs whether any of it moves a race that could decide Senate control, noting more than 10 percent of Alaska voters have already cast ballots.

How 9 podcasts covered it

1. The NPR Politics Podcast, 2026-10-29 (17:49 to 19:27)
   Reports Alaska governor's probe of Sullivan
   Reports the Alaska governor's order of an investigation into Daniel J. Sullivan, a day after Trump called for Peltola's prosecution, and notes the DOJ suit and early turnout. Frames it as the race where Trump said the quiet part out loud.
   New angle: Alaska's Republican governor ordered an investigation into Democratic candidate Daniel J. Sullivan.
2. WSJ What's News, 2026-10-29 (2:43 to 3:46)
   Reports new grand jury subpoenas
   Reports the governor's ordered probe into the Alaska Senate race and the Justice Department's new grand jury subpoenas, with prosecutors weighing a voter-rights conspiracy charge. Peltola's campaign denies involvement.
   New angle: The Justice Department sent dozens of new grand jury subpoenas and is weighing a voter-rights conspiracy charge.
3. Morning Wire, 2026-10-29 (1:35 to 2:57)
   Adds Trump's call for Peltola to resign
   Recaps the Times report and the governor's probe, then adds Trump's on-the-record call for Peltola to resign and be prosecuted, plus Dunleavy's framing of the order as an organized effort to manipulate Alaska elections.
   New angle: Trump said Peltola should resign from the race and be prosecuted criminally.
4. Global News Podcast, 2026-10-30 (19:54 to 22:42)
   Recaps the ballot-stacking probe from the top
   Recaps the Alaska ballot-stacking story from the top: the Times report, the governor's investigation, the Alaska Supreme Court ruling and the DOJ suit. It stays inside the reporting already on the record and adds only the correspondent's expectation of post-election litigation.
5. Ruthless Podcast, 2026-10-30 (31:38 to 34:07)
   Notes the governor's call for an investigation
   Picks up the Alaska Senate market and the Peltola campaign's alleged recruitment of Dan Sullivan, noting the governor has asked for an investigation and that the story will dominate the race until election day. The rest is a detour into how prediction markets read the vibe.
   New angle: Alaska's governor asked for an investigation into the Peltola campaign's recruitment of Dan Sullivan.
6. Start Here, 2026-10-30 (3:10 to 5:52)
   Adds the state investigation into the race
   Adds a second track to the Alaska story: alongside the governor's order, a state investigation is now underway, and Karl notes the DOJ had been discussing its probe before the Times story ran. Frames both as outrage-building rather than a likely prosecution.
   New angle: A separate state investigation into the Alaska Senate race is now underway alongside the DOJ probe.
7. The Daily, 2026-10-30 (34:28 to 35:38)
   Recaps the Alaska ballot inquiry calls
   News roundup item on the Alaska ballot story: Republican officials, including the governor and a top Republican in Congress, called for inquiries into the Peltola campaign's recruitment of a second Dan Sullivan. It retells what the card already holds, then moves to an unrelated Nvidia item.
8. The Headlines, 2026-10-30 (0:38 to 3:01)
   Reports Alaska subpoenas tied to ballot stacking
   Roundup of the administration's pre-midterm interventions that adds a new detail to the Alaska probe: the dozens of grand jury subpoenas went to people connected to the ballot-stacking effort, per officials familiar with the investigation. Also covers California subpoenas and the Nevada list, which belong to other points.
   New angle: The Alaska grand jury subpoenas went to people connected to the ballot-stacking effort, per officials familiar with the probe.
9. The Rest Is Politics: US, 2026-10-30 (2:01 to 4:47)
   Debates the legality of the decoy scheme
   Debates the legality and the optics of the decoy Dan Sullivan scheme: the state Supreme Court let him run, so jurisdiction sits with Alaska, not the DOJ. Concludes it smells fishy and hurts Peltola, with a Jill Stein comparison and a Casablanca riff.
10. The Rest Is Politics: US, 2026-10-30 (9:22 to 11:23)
    Predicts Peltola wins and Alaska delays
    Runs through the Alaska subpoenas and Trump's campaigning on the decoy candidate story, then turns to predictions: Scaramucci says Peltola wins and that Alaska could delay a Senate call on election night. Stays inside the week's coverage.