PETERSBURG, Ala.-FBI agents have contacted at least three donors to Dan J. Sullivan, the Alaska Senate candidate who shares a name with the state's incumbent senator, Dan S. Sullivan.
Two Dan Sullivans on the ballot has thrown a last-minute wild card into the midterms. Both the state of Alaska and the U.S. Justice Department have opened investigations into whether anyone broke the law to field the second Sullivan, putting Democratic candidate Mary Peltola and the Democratic Party itself on the defensive.
Charles "Rocky" Flint, the retired owner of a boat dealership in this remote fishing village, said he has known Dan J. Sullivan for years and offered a $500 donation when he heard he was running. He said he respects Sullivan, a retired teacher and fellow Petersburg resident, but also knew the bid could potentially "dilute" the vote for Dan S. Sullivan, the incumbent Republican, and help Peltola, his preferred candidate.
Last week, FBI agents visited Flint's former business, now run by his son, while he was out of town, Flint said. They left a card and asked him to get in touch. The agents told the son they wanted to ask Flint if Sullivan had duped him into donating, Flint added.
Flint said he knew of two other donors, one in Petersburg and another in Juneau, whom the FBI had also contacted. At least one refused to talk to the agents, according to Flint.
Flint said he doesn't feel he is in any real legal peril. "I haven't done anything wrong," he said.
Mike Pilling, a retired fisherman in Juneau, said he has known Dan J. Sullivan since their days working together for the Forest Service. "I think it would be awesome if Petersburg Dan Sullivan got into politics," he said. "He's a totally normal person."
Pilling, who gave Sullivan's candidacy $400 or $500, said the FBI agents asked him if he knew which Dan Sullivan he had backed. "They mentioned the word fraud, which is the word of 2026, and they want to make sure or find out if I accidentally gave money to the wrong person, like I didn't know what I was doing," he said.
Pilling assured them he hadn't been duped into making his contribution. Nor does he think many Alaskans will mix up the two Sullivans on Election Day. "We managed to elect Lisa Murkowski as a write-in, including spelling her name correctly," he said.