Alaska Gov.Mike Dunleavy warned that an alleged Democratic scheme to recruit a second "Dan Sullivan" into the state's pivotal Senate race exposed a deeper vulnerability in its election system, telling Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that his administration is investigating newly surfaced evidence just days before the midterms.Dunleavy said The New York Times uncovered details that state officials did not have when they initially challenged the second Sullivan's candidacy this past summer — including alleged involvement by operatives connected to Democratic nominee Mary Peltola.The Republican argued Alaska's relatively new election system helped make the controversy possible, as state and federal authorities pursue separate investigations into potential wrongdoing."This would have never happened if we didn't have ranked-choice voting," Dunleavy told Fox News Digital.
"If this was a historical primary, a primary that our fathers and grandfathers had, this individual [retired schoolteacher Dan Sullivan of Petersburg] would not have gotten out of the primary."'DECOY DAN' SULLIVAN CASE LEADS TOP SENATOR TO BREAK FOUR-YEAR X SILENCE: 'PATTERN OF LIES'Sen.Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, and former Rep.
Mary Peltola, a Democrat from Alaska and U.S.Senate candidate, right, raise paddles during the 2026 Alaska Fisheries Debate in Kodiak, Alaska, on Saturday, Sept.
12, 2026.(Nathaniel Wilder/Bloomberg via Getty Images)Dunleavy cited reporting that the Petersburg Sullivan initially denied having been recruited, but the Times found Peltola-connected operatives had worked to recruit spoilers named "Dan Sullivan" from around the state."We're compelled to do an investigation on behalf of the people of Alaska, because as they say in Alaska, which is a big fish state, if you can smell the fish way far from the dock, you've got a real problem," Dunleavy said."And so, this really does stink."Alaska's election system advances the top four finishers from a nonpartisan primary to...