Alaska’s two Dan Sullivans: what is documented, what is alleged, and what officials have done since Oct. 28

Original reporting: Alaska Story; The New York Times
Created: 2026-10-30T17:30:00-04:00 (America/New_York)
Last updated: 2026-11-08T06:48-05:00 (America/New_York)
Living page — updated in place as new primary drops land.

The short version

The latest count leaves Mary Peltola 637 first-choice votes ahead of Sen. Dan Sullivan, with neither at 50% and ranked-choice tabulation set for Nov. 18. On Nov. 6 her campaign committee, Alaskans for Mary, sued Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, the Division of Elections and director Carol Beecher for records identifying rejected absentee ballots and the reasons. The state says that preliminary information is confidential and will fight to keep it protected.

Local and national records reporting follow the consultants, financing and alleged spoiler recruitment around Alaska’s second Dan Sullivan. The guide keeps that trail alongside the dismissed DOJ civil suit, its appeal and the separate criminal investigation.

Alaska voters choosing a U.S. senator on Nov. 3 will find two candidates named Dan Sullivan on the ranked-choice ballot: the Republican incumbent, Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, who is seeking a third term, and Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired elementary school teacher from Petersburg. Democrat Mary Peltola and Republican Gerald Heikes complete the four-candidate field. In the August primary, Peltola received 49.5% and Sen. Sullivan 41.4%, according to NBC News; the Petersburg candidate received 4,107 votes, about 2.5%.

The State of Alaska tried to keep the Petersburg candidate off the ballot and lost. In June, the Division of Elections removed him after concluding his filing was not made in good faith; a Superior Court judge reversed that decision, and on June 29 the Alaska Supreme Court affirmed. Since then, Alaska Story, a conservative-leaning Alaska news site, has reported on the consultants and outside money around his campaign, and on Oct. 28 The New York Times reported, citing text messages and interviews with about a dozen people, that Peltola campaign staff and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee were involved in an effort to recruit spoiler candidates, including him.

Peltola, her campaign and the DSCC deny involvement. The Petersburg candidate has said he was not recruited and is running because he disagrees with the senator. No one has been charged with a crime. Since the Times report, the Justice Department has amended a federal lawsuit and, according to CBS News, NBC News and Axios, issued new subpoenas; on Oct. 30 the U.S. attorney for Alaska said a criminal investigation is ongoing; the governor has directed state troopers to review the matter; and two congressional Republicans have opened inquiries.

This page separates what is on the record from what is alleged, and lists who has said what in response and when.

Research quality: Court orders, filings and official statements are cited directly where we could open them. The Times report is paywalled; we did not bypass it and describe it through the Anchorage Daily News, Axios, CBS News and Alaska Story accounts of it. Alaska Story is conservative-leaning and uses terms such as “Decoy Dan”; we quote those terms only as its own. Response status was last checked 5:30 p.m. ET, Oct. 30.

Featured image: Official portraits: U.S. Senate (Sen. Dan S. Sullivan); U.S. House office of Rep. Mary Peltola (Peltola). Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Update, Nov. 8

Added Nov. 8, 2026. On Friday, Nov. 6, Peltola’s campaign committee, Alaskans for Mary, sued Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, the Alaska Division of Elections and its director, Carol Beecher, in state court under the Alaska Public Records Act (AS 40.25.110). The complaint says the campaign requested, on Oct. 27 and again on Nov. 4, “a copy of the Absentee Register showing the accept or reject code for each absentee ballot returned” or other documents showing “the identities of voters whose absentee ballots … have been rejected as well as the reasons for each rejection,” and that counsel for the defendants declined immediate production on Nov. 5.

The campaign writes that it “cannot ensure that its voters’ lawful votes were properly counted without knowing whose absentee ballots were rejected or questioned, and why.” The Alaska Department of Law said the campaign is seeking preliminary absentee-ballot information the division has long treated as confidential; that observers may view certain daily records under confidentiality agreements but may not retain them; that releasing the records as requested “would create additional burdens during ballot processing and could delay the timely counting of votes”; and that it “will ask the court to protect” the information. Department of Law spokesperson Sam Curtis provided that statement to the Anchorage Daily News. Alaska Public Media and Reuters also reported the filing.

Ranked-choice tabulation remains scheduled for Nov. 18. First-choice totals in the Nov. 6 update are unchanged here. This update does not treat either campaign’s projection as established fact.

Update, Nov. 6

Added Nov. 6, 2026. As of results posted Wednesday afternoon (per KTUU / Alaska’s News Source; official Division of Elections summary page checked the same morning but first-choice totals were not inline on the public HTML — RCV tabulation still pending), first-choice totals stood at Mary Peltola 102,962 (48.02%) and Sen. Dan S. Sullivan 102,325 (47.72%) — a 637-vote gap — with neither at 50%. Gerald Heikes had 2.26%; the other Dan Sullivan (Dan J. Sullivan of Petersburg) had about 3,600 first-choice votes; 695 write-ins. Ranked-choice tabulation is scheduled to begin Nov. 18. The Associated Press has not called the race.

• Both campaigns have issued statements projecting a win once rankings (or remaining absentees) are counted. Peltola’s campaign says outstanding early/absentee ballots will extend her lead; Sullivan’s memo says he would win if RCV ran on ballots already in hand. Those are campaign claims, not official results.
• This update reports first-choice counts and schedule only. It does not treat either campaign’s projection, or any claim about how Dan J. Sullivan’s votes will transfer, as established fact.
• The Nov. 3 update on this page (Judge Gleason’s dismissal of the DOJ civil suit; DOJ appeal No. 26-7304; separate ongoing criminal investigation with no charges) remains in place. Election counting and the federal appeal are parallel tracks.

Update, Nov. 3

Added Nov. 3, 2026. A federal judge dismissed the Justice Department’s civil suit on Nov. 1, and the department appealed the same day. The criminal investigation is separate and continues; no one has been charged.

• On Sunday, Nov. 1, U.S. District Judge Sharon L. Gleason granted the three motions to dismiss, filed by the State, by Alaskans for Mary and the DSCC, and by the League of Women Voters of Alaska and other intervenors. She dismissed the Justice Department’s amended complaint without prejudice in a 20-page order (Dkt. 79), and the clerk entered judgment the same day (Dkt. 80).
• The ground was standing. Gleason held that the United States had not shown its claimed injury could be redressed, a requirement for Article III standing, so the court lacked jurisdiction. “The absence of any explanation from the United States as to how its requested relief could redress its alleged injury while simultaneously maintaining the secrecy of the ballot is telling,” she wrote. Setting aside ballots cast for Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. so those voters could be investigated by law enforcement “is not a remedy that this Court can or should order,” she wrote, and she cited the Purcell principle against changing election rules on the eve of an election.
• What the order does not decide: because it rests on standing, it does not address whether the Petersburg candidate was recruited or whether anyone broke a law. It also denies leave to amend, finding a further amendment futile because the court “lacks the authority to order that certain ballots cast by Alaskans be segregated so that federal law enforcement officials can conduct an unspecified investigation of the voters who cast them.”
• The Justice Department filed a notice of appeal on Nov. 1 (Dkt. 81, signed by Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr.). The Ninth Circuit opened the appeal that day as No. 26-7304. Its schedule sets the government’s opening brief for Dec. 14, 2026, and the answering briefs for Jan. 11, 2027.
• A DOJ spokesperson said the court “dismissed the case on procedural grounds but did not dispute the argument of the United States that Daniel J. Sullivan (a/k/a Decoy Dan) entered the race as a frivolous candidate to confuse voters” (CNBC; CBS News). The order does not rule on that argument either way. The state’s Department of Law had called the ballot-segregation request “half-baked” (Alaska Public Media).
• Separately, state Rep. Rebecca Himschoot (I-Sitka) told Alaska Public Media that FBI agents visited at least two of her constituents who had donated to Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. to ask whether they knew who they were giving to. She called it “outrageous.” The U.S. attorney said Oct. 30 that a criminal investigation is ongoing; he did not name a statute.
• As of 1:50 a.m. ET Nov. 3, we found no public statement on the ruling from the State, the Peltola campaign, the DSCC or Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. beyond their court filings.

What is documented

These points rest on court orders, government filings, official statements, election results or federal disclosures.

• Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. filed for the Senate race in May, shortly before the deadline, after registering as a Republican (Anchorage Daily News; Alaska Story). The Alaska Beacon reported Oct. 26 that his absentee-ballot request lists him as undeclared. The general-election ballot shows no party for him; it shows the incumbent as a registered Republican.
• Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher issued a final determination on June 15 removing him from the ballot, after complaints filed on behalf of Alaska Republican Party Chair Carmela Warfield, writing that “the preponderance of the evidence does not support your eligibility” (Alaska Story, June 15, quoting the determination). The National Republican Senatorial Committee separately filed complaints with federal regulators (same report).
• Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthews ordered him restored to the ballot on June 26 in a 32-page order, holding that a “good-faith” test is “not supported by the US Constitution, Alaska statutes, or the Division’s implementing regulations” (Alaska Story, quoting the order).
• The Alaska Supreme Court affirmed on June 29 (No. S-19935) and sent the case back to the Division to decide how he would be listed under ballot-design law. A full opinion was to follow.
• The Justice Department sued Alaska election officials on Oct. 22 under the National Voter Registration Act. The suit asks the court to hold certification only if the senator loses and votes for the Petersburg candidate could have changed the outcome; filing it does not stop certification. On Oct. 29 DOJ amended the complaint to add a Supremacy Clause claim and the Times reporting (CBS News).
• The State of Alaska has asked the federal court to dismiss the suit. A Department of Law spokesperson said federal law “does not dictate what candidates can run in elections” and that the Division “is bound by the Alaska Supreme Court’s order” (Axios). After the amended complaint, the state and the Peltola campaign filed new motions to dismiss; on Oct. 30 U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason ruled the earlier motions moot and set an expedited schedule that leaves open a ruling before Nov. 3 (CNBC).
• Federal filings reported by the New York Post and Alaska Story show the super PAC Right for Alaska received about $990,000 from the Sixteen Thirty Fund and $1.8 million from Liberty Force Action Fund, and spent nearly $1.15 million supporting the Petersburg candidate. Alaska Story noted the disclosures “do not, by themselves, establish unlawful coordination with a candidate.”
• The NRSC has filed three FEC complaints about the Petersburg candidate and a consultant, Amber Lee; Americans for Public Trust filed a fourth on Sept. 8. None has produced an FEC finding (Alaska Story, Sept. 9).

What is alleged, and by whom

These claims have not been tested in court. Each is attributed to the people or outlets making it.

• The New York Times (Oct. 28): a Democratic operative brought in by the DSCC searched for men named Dan Sullivan and found the Petersburg candidate; Peltola campaign staff were involved; the effort began last year and sought several spoiler candidates. The operative is identified as Jerid Kurtz, who the Times says used the name “Zane.”
• Elisa Rios, a former Peltola aide who was fired before the August primary, told the Times that Peltola knew of the effort but was not directly involved. The Times reported she later sought to retract her comments (Anchorage Daily News).
• Anchorage resident Matt Salisbury told the Times he was approached by a man calling himself Zane and was offered the prospect of outside support. Fairbanks City Council member Aaron Lojewski told Alaska Story on Oct. 29 that the same man sought to recruit him in April, and provided texts dated April 25 and 26; Alaska Story said it reviewed them.
• Gerald Heikes, the Republican on the ballot, told the Anchorage Daily News that someone from outside Alaska recruited him early this year and offered advertising help. More than $2 million in outside spending has supported him, including from a group funded by the Sixteen Thirty Fund (ADN).
• The Justice Department’s amended complaint calls the alleged effort a “conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the electoral process,” and says: “Although what the New York Times reports is not always true, its reporting here aligns with what the United States has been alleging on information and belief.”
• Republicans, including Sen. Sullivan’s campaign and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, say the candidacy was meant to confuse voters. President Trump said Peltola “should be prosecuted criminally.” None of these claims has been adjudicated.
• Context: spoiler tactics have been used by both parties in Alaska. Before the primary, the Republican-aligned Fair Deal Alaska super PAC spent heavily to support Democrat Carol Hafner and Green Party candidate Richard Grayson to draw votes from Peltola, and Republicans backed Eric Hafner against her in 2024 (ADN).

Official actions since Oct. 28

Date (ET)	Who	Action	Source
Oct. 28	Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R)	Called the Times report “disturbing” and directed the Department of Public Safety to review it; later said findings of illegal conduct “may in fact impact whether somebody is seated in the U.S. Senate.”	Alaska Public Media; Axios
Oct. 28	Alaska DPS / Alaska Bureau of Investigation	Said it is reviewing the matter: “We recognize that Alaskans want and deserve fact-based answers.”	DPS statement
Oct. 28	U.S. Justice Department	Dropped its opposition to the Peltola campaign and DSCC joining the federal suit, saying it intends to seek expedited discovery from the campaign.	Anchorage Daily News
Oct. 29	House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.)	Requested transcribed interviews with Elisa Rios and Jerid Kurtz.	House Oversight Committee release
Oct. 29	Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations	Sent document-preservation letters to Jerid Kurtz, Anton McParland and Elisa Rios.	Johnson letters (Senate website); Forth
Oct. 29	U.S. Justice Department	Amended the civil complaint; sources told CBS News and Axios that new subpoenas went to Democratic officials. A U.S. official told NBC News at least three dozen subpoenas and preservation requests went out, including to the Peltola campaign and Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.’s campaign; a source told Reuters the number was more than 40. No one has been charged.	CBS News; Axios; NBC News; Reuters
Oct. 29	Justice Department official (briefing)	Called the civil suit largely a “preservation suit”; Axios, citing CBS, said the official named two federal civil-rights statutes as possible avenues.	CBS News; Axios
Oct. 30	U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason	Ruled the earlier dismissal motions moot after the amended complaint; ordered DOJ to respond to the new motions from the state and the Peltola campaign by 1 p.m. Alaska time Oct. 30, with replies due by noon Oct. 31. The schedule leaves open a ruling before Election Day.	CNBC
Oct. 30	U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman (District of Alaska)	At an Anchorage news conference with FBI Anchorage Special Agent in Charge Matthew Schlegel, said “there is both a civil investigation and a criminal investigation that is ongoing” and “a surge of FBI resources”; would not say what statute might have been violated. He said the criminal inquiry has run for months and that his earlier recusal was rescinded Oct. 29.	CNBC; Alaska’s News Source
Nov. 1	U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason	Dismissed DOJ’s amended complaint without prejudice for lack of standing and denied leave to amend (Dkt. 79, 80).	Court order and judgment
Nov. 1	U.S. Justice Department	Filed a notice of appeal; the Ninth Circuit opened No. 26-7304, with the opening brief due Dec. 14.	Notice of appeal; Ninth Circuit docket

The denials and responses

• Mary Peltola, Oct. 29 in Juneau: “I just want to clear the air — I knew nothing about any other candidates on the ballot except for me and the incumbent.” She added, “I am not interested in tricking voters,” and asked when the Times “became the National Enquirer” (CBS News; Juneau Independent).
• Peltola campaign spokesperson Harry Child, Oct. 28: the campaign has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign (ADN). The Times said the campaign and the DSCC did not address its detailed questions.
• DSCC: denied participating in the recruitment effort, per the Times. A spokesperson told NBC News, “The DSCC is not involved with Dan J. Sullivan,” and said Republicans “have a long history of recruiting and propping up candidates in an attempt to boost their own campaigns.” Did not respond to ADN.
• Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.: declined to comment to the Times and did not respond to ADN; he has said he was not recruited by Democrats and is running over policy differences with the senator. His campaign site describes him as a Republican candidate.
• Alaska Democratic Party Executive Director Jenny-Marie Stryker: the party is “in no way affiliated” with either Sullivan campaign; no comment on whether it knew of the DSCC’s efforts (ADN).
• Sen. Sullivan’s campaign spokesperson Nate Adams: Peltola and her advisers “colluded” with the DSCC to “deliberately deceive and confuse voters, and then repeatedly lied about it” (ADN). That is the campaign’s allegation, not a finding.
• 907 Initiative Executive Director Aubrey Wieber, Sept.: consultant Amber Lee was an unpaid board member who did not discuss the candidate with the group (New York Post, via Alaska Story).
• Legal experts quoted by Alaska Public Media said recruiting a same-name candidate, which one called “unethical,” is not necessarily a crime under state or federal law; Justin Levitt said he saw no federal crime absent an undisclosed payment. Ben Hovland told Axios lying under oath could change that.

Response status (time-stamped)

As of 5:30 p.m. ET, Oct. 30. We have not sent our own inquiries; every response below is from published statements or filings. Not located means we found no public statement, not that the person declined.

Person or group	Status	Where
Mary Peltola / Alaskans for Mary	Denies involvement (Oct. 28, Oct. 29)	ADN; CBS News; Juneau Independent
DSCC	Denies (per the Times; statement to NBC News); no response to ADN	ADN; NBC News
Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.	Declined Times; no response to ADN or, per Alaska Story, to the AP this week; earlier denials	ADN; Alaska Story
Jerid Kurtz	No public response located	—
Anton McParland	No public response located	—
Elisa Rios	Sought to retract comments before publication, per the Times; no further public statement located	ADN
Sen. Dan S. Sullivan campaign	Alleges collusion (statement, Oct. 28)	ADN
Right for Alaska treasurer	Did not respond to the New York Post	Alaska Story
State of Alaska	Seeking dismissal of DOJ suit; DPS review open	Axios; DPS
U.S. Justice Department	Amended complaint Oct. 29; U.S. attorney says criminal investigation ongoing (Oct. 30); no charges	CBS News; CNBC

The June court rulings

• Superior Court (Anchorage), Judge Thomas Matthews, case 3AN-26-07485CI, June 26: election officials may have had concerns about voter confusion but lacked authority to remove a candidate for lack of a “good-faith” candidacy.
• Alaska Supreme Court, order in S-19935, June 29: Chief Justice Carney and Justices Henderson, Pate and Oravec affirmed; Justice Borghesan did not participate. The court remanded to the Division of Elections “to determine, in the first instance, how appellee Sullivan shall be listed” on the ballot, and said “a full opinion will be issued at a later date.” We did not find that opinion in the docket as of Oct. 30.
• Friends of the court: the Republican Party of Alaska, Iowa and 13 other states, and the Honest Elections Project supported the Division; two individuals supported the candidate.
• Effect: the order decided whether he could appear, not why he ran. Neither court found that he was or was not recruited.

About this report

• Original reporting credited: Alaska Story (Suzanne Downing’s conservative-leaning Alaska news site), for its June-October reporting on the court fight, outside money and the Lojewski texts; and The New York Times, for its Oct. 28 report. Other outlets are cited where used.
• Featured image: Official portraits: U.S. Senate (Sen. Dan S. Sullivan); U.S. House office of Rep. Mary Peltola (Peltola). Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Sen. Sullivan is identified throughout as Dan S. Sullivan or the senator; the Petersburg candidate as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. or the Petersburg candidate.

Chronology of drops

• 2026-05 — Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. files for U.S. Senate — Shortly before the filing deadline (ADN).
• 2026-06-23 — Alaska Story: voter records and his party-switch explanation — After the Division removed him from the ballot.
• 2026-06-26 — Judge Matthews orders him restored to the ballot — Alaska Story account of the 32-page order.
• 2026-06-29 — Alaska Supreme Court affirms (S-19935) — Order; full opinion to follow.
• 2026-08-18 — Primary; reports of federal grand jury subpoenas — Alaska Story, citing Reuters and NBC News.
• 2026-09-09 — Alaska Story: the consultants and nonprofit money around the race — Includes the 907 Initiative’s denial.
• 2026-10-19 — Alaska Story: Right for Alaska’s funding — Sixteen Thirty Fund and Liberty Force Action Fund disclosures (via the New York Post).
• 2026-10-22 — DOJ sues Alaska election officials — NVRA suit; seeks a conditional hold on certification.
• 2026-10-28 — New York Times report on the recruitment effort — Paywalled; summarized by ADN.
• 2026-10-28 — Dunleavy directs a state review; DPS statement
• 2026-10-29 — Comer seeks testimony; Johnson preservation letters — Release title is the committee’s wording.
• 2026-10-29 — DOJ amends suit; new subpoenas reported — No charges.
• 2026-10-29 — Peltola: “I knew nothing” — Juneau rally.
• 2026-10-29 — Alaska Story: Lojewski texts
• 2026-10-30 — Judge keeps dismissal motions on a fast track; U.S. attorney says criminal investigation is ongoing — Anchorage news conference with the FBI. No charges.
• 2026-11-01 — Judge Gleason dismisses DOJ’s civil suit (Dkt. 79) — Lack of standing; without prejudice; leave to amend denied.
• 2026-11-01 — DOJ appeals; Ninth Circuit opens No. 26-7304 — Opening brief due Dec. 14, 2026; answering briefs Jan. 11, 2027.
• 2026-11-05 (results posted Wed. afternoon; reported Nov. 6) — First-choice snapshot: Peltola 102,962 (48.02%) · Dan S. Sullivan 102,325 (47.72%); RCV Nov. 18 — Per KTUU / Alaska’s News Source; AP uncalled. Dan J. Sullivan ~3,600; Heikes 2.26%; 695 write-ins.

Sources

Pointers to originals. We do not close-paraphrase their prose — read the primaries.

• Alaska Supreme Court order, S-19935 (June 29, 2026) — Primary
• Alaska Supreme Court docket, S-19935 — Primary
• Alaska Department of Public Safety statement (Oct. 28) — Primary
• House Oversight Committee release (Oct. 29) — Primary; headline is the committee’s
• Sen. Ron Johnson letter to Jerid Kurtz (Oct. 29) — Primary; PDF blocked our fetcher, contents via Forth
• Forth: Sen. Ron Johnson releases
• Daniel J. Sullivan for US Senate (campaign site) — Primary
• Alaska Story: New York Times report ties Peltola campaign to recruitment (Oct. 28) — Original reporting; conservative site
• Alaska Story: Division of Elections final determination (June 15) — Quotes Director Beecher; headline is Alaska Story’s
• Alaska Story: Supreme Court ruling (June 29) — Headline is Alaska Story’s
• Alaska Story: consultants and nonprofit money (Sept. 9)
• Alaska Story: Lojewski texts (Oct. 29) — Original reporting
• Alaska Story: Right for Alaska funding (Oct. 19) — Headline is Alaska Story’s
• The New York Times (Oct. 28) — Original reporting; paywalled, not bypassed
• Anchorage Daily News: summary of the Times report and responses (Oct. 28)
• NBC News: primary results (in its Oct. 15 debate report)
• CBS News: DOJ subpoenas and amended complaint (Oct. 29)
• CBS News: Peltola says she knew nothing (Oct. 29)
• Juneau Independent: Peltola rally (Oct. 29)
• Alaska Public Media: Dunleavy review and legal experts (Oct. 29)
• CNBC: dismissal schedule and U.S. attorney’s news conference (Oct. 30)
• Alaska’s News Source (KTUU): Justice Department news conference notice (Oct. 30)
• NBC News: subpoenas, DSCC statement and state investigation (Oct. 29, updated Oct. 30)
• Reuters (via StreetInsider): more than 40 subpoenas and preservation requests (Oct. 29)
• Alaska Story: subpoenas and the Petersburg candidate (Oct. 30) — Headline is Alaska Story’s
• Axios: investigations and state’s dismissal motion (Oct. 30)
• Featured image sources (Wikimedia Commons) — Also File:Rep._Mary_Peltola_headshot.jpg; public domain
• Order Dismissing Action, United States v. State of Alaska, No. 3:26-cv-00376-SLG, Dkt. 79 (D. Alaska Nov. 1, 2026) — Primary; read in full.
• Judgment in a Civil Action, Dkt. 80 (Nov. 1, 2026) — Primary.
• United States’ notice of appeal, Dkt. 81 (Nov. 1, 2026) — Primary.
• Ninth Circuit, No. 26-7304, time schedule order (Nov. 1, 2026) — Primary; briefing dates.
• Ninth Circuit docket, No. 26-7304 (CourtListener) — Docket.
• Alaska Public Media, “Judge tosses DOJ lawsuit…” (Nov. 1) — State’s position; Himschoot account.
• CNBC on the dismissal (Nov. 1) — DOJ statement.
• CBS News on the dismissal — DOJ statement.
• Alaska Story on the dismissal (Nov. 1) — Original reporting credited above.
• KTUU / Alaska’s News Source — Peltola and Sullivan campaigns project wins (Nov. 5–6) — First-choice figures: Peltola 102,962; Dan S. Sullivan 102,325; margin 637.
• Alaska Division of Elections — 2026 General Election results — Official results hub; RCV tabulation scheduled Nov. 18; summary PDF/CSV not scraped this pass.

Open questions

• Will Jerid Kurtz, Anton McParland or Elisa Rios respond publicly or to the congressional requests?
• What did the new DOJ subpoenas seek? Sources told NBC News and Reuters that recipients include the Peltola and Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. campaigns; no other recipients have been named, and the U.S. attorney would not name a statute.
• Will the Justice Department ask the Ninth Circuit to expedite its appeal (No. 26-7304)? On the default schedule, its opening brief is due Dec. 14.
• When will the Alaska Supreme Court issue its full opinion in S-19935?
• Who funded Liberty Force Action Fund, which as a 501(c)(4) does not disclose donors?
• Will the FEC act on the four pending complaints?

Mainstream coverage note

This is not a story legacy media/MSM ignored: the Times broke the recruitment report, and ADN, CBS, NBC and Axios have followed it. Alaska Story’s reporting on the court fight and the outside money came months earlier and is less widely credited; this page credits both.

Paywall / access notes

• The New York Times report is paywalled; not bypassed. Described through ADN, Axios, CBS and Alaska Story.
• Sen. Johnson’s letters (PDF) returned Access Denied to our fetcher; the URLs are listed and contents taken from Forth.