House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said Sunday there is a “big possibility” that former Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, will not be seated in the Senate even if she defeats Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan on Tuesday.
Comer’s warning comes as Peltola’s campaign faces mounting investigations into allegations that it was involved in a “ballot-stacking” scheme to confuse Alaska voters.
The controversy erupted after a New York Times report found that Peltola’s campaign worked with national Democrats to recruit a candidate with the same name as Sullivan, Dan J. Sullivan, to run in the Senate race and siphon votes away from the Republican incumbent. The report cited text messages from Peltola staffers that appeared to suggest direct involvement in the effort.
Peltola’s campaign and national Democrats have denied any involvement. Peltola herself told supporters in Juneau last week that she knew nothing about any other candidate on the ballot and said she has no interest in tricking voters. The other Sullivan has also long denied running at Democrats’ behest.
Comer launched a congressional investigation Thursday, requesting transcribed, in-person interviews with Elisa Rios, Peltola’s former campaign manager, and Jerid Kurtz, a Democratic operative the Times reported was also involved. Comer asked Rios to testify on Nov. 5 and Kurtz on Nov. 6, and said the committee will consider compulsory process if they do not appear voluntarily.
“Democrats are the party of fraud,” Comer said in a statement announcing the probe, calling the alleged scheme “dirty politics” and a “crime” in a later television appearance.
The congressional probe is just one front in a widening legal fight. Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a Republican, ordered the state’s Department of Public Safety to investigate whether the scheme violated state law and whether criminal charges or civil action are warranted.
At the federal level, the Justice Department escalated a criminal investigation last week with new grand jury subpoenas. On Friday, Michael J. Heyman, the U.S. attorney for the District of Alaska, publicly confirmed his office had opened a criminal investigation, vowing that anyone who illegally deceived voters would answer for it.
The Justice Department has also filed a lawsuit seeking to block certification of the results if Sullivan loses.
President Trump has weighed in forcefully, saying Peltola should be removed from the ballot and prosecuted, and casting doubt on whether she would be seated even with a victory. He accused her of trying to steal a Senate seat from Alaska voters.
Sullivan said Sunday he would accept the election results even if he loses.
The stakes could not be higher. Alaska is one of six toss-up races expected to determine control of the Senate, and Decision Desk HQ’s latest forecast gives Peltola a 61 percent chance of winning, with polling showing her narrowly ahead.
