Republicans and their allies are pulling out all the stops to keep control of the House and Senate during the upcoming midterm elections.
And now Republicans are fighting back against what appears to be a liberal-led effort to trick and mislead voters about candidates on the ballot.
To that end, a conservative watchdog organization has asked the Justice Department to investigate possible campaign finance violations involving several Democratic-aligned political groups operating in Alaska’s closely watched U.S. Senate race.
The American Accountability Foundation submitted a 114-page referral Wednesday to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska, alleging that organizations involved in advertising against incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan may have violated federal election laws.
The referral raises questions about potentially coordinated political expenditures, undisclosed financial relationships and contributions allegedly made in another organization’s name.
The allegations center partly on Dan J. Sullivan, a Republican candidate who shares the same first and last name as incumbent Sen. Daniel S. Sullivan.
Republican officials have accused the lesser-known candidate of entering the race to confuse voters and potentially divert support from the incumbent. Dan J. Sullivan has denied being a spoiler candidate.
The latest referral expands on a September complaint filed with the Federal Election Commission by Americans for Public Trust.
That complaint focused on Democratic political strategist Amber Lee, who provided consulting services to Dan J. Sullivan’s campaign while serving on the board of the 907 Initiative, an Alaska nonprofit that financed advertising criticizing the incumbent senator.
The organization reportedly spent approximately $450,000 on the advertising campaign. Lee denied violating federal election law.
“I serve as an unpaid member of the 907 Initiative board. I am not an employee of the organization, and I do not manage its independent expenditure activity,” she told the Alaska Beacon.
The 907 Initiative also denied coordinating with the candidate’s campaign.
The American Accountability Foundation’s new referral identifies additional organizations, including Majority Forward, the Midnight Sun Independence Fund and Midnight Sun PAC.
Majority Forward is a Washington-based nonprofit affiliated with Senate Majority PAC, a major Democratic political organization.
According to the referral, investigators should examine why nearly identical advertisements criticizing Sen. Sullivan appeared under different organizational disclaimers.
One advertisement carried a disclaimer identifying Majority Forward as its sponsor, while another identified the 907 Initiative.
Both reportedly featured the same footage, graphics and telephone number, along with the message urging Sullivan to stop raising costs.
The foundation also identified healthcare advertisements appearing under the names of both Majority Forward and the Midnight Sun Independence Fund.
The group argues that the overlapping advertisements warrant an examination of which organizations actually financed and directed the communications.
The referral also highlights financial and organizational connections.
Corporate records reportedly list the same Washington, D.C., address for Majority Forward and the Midnight Sun Independence Fund.
A campaign finance filing showed that the Midnight Sun Independence Fund contributed $100,000 to Midnight Sun PAC in July.
The foundation questioned whether the transaction involved money originating from another organization without proper disclosure.
Federal law prohibits making political contributions in another person’s name.
However, shared addresses, personnel or advertising materials do not automatically establish illegal coordination or unlawful contributions.
Investigators would need additional evidence demonstrating that the organizations violated applicable campaign finance requirements.
The controversy surrounding Dan J. Sullivan began earlier this year. Alaska election officials initially removed him from the ballot after questioning whether his candidacy was legitimate.
A state judge subsequently reversed that decision, allowing him to participate in the election.
Alaska uses a voting system in which the four candidates receiving the most votes advance to a ranked-choice general election.
In August’s primary, Democratic former Rep. Mary Peltola received approximately 49.5% of the vote, while incumbent Sullivan received more than 41%. Dan J. Sullivan received approximately 2.5%.
Vice President JD Vance campaigned for the incumbent Monday in Fairbanks, while President Donald Trump is also expected to visit the state.
Federal prosecutors were already examining allegations surrounding the similarly named candidate.
A grand jury issued subpoenas in August as part of an investigation into whether his candidacy was intended to mislead voters.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
