Controversy in Alaska Senate race in US midterm elections - NHKニュース

The race to the finish line in the US midterm elections next Tuesday is heating up, and the Senate race in Alaska has been caught up in a controversy. Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy said on Wednesday that he was ordering a criminal investigation into the Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola's campaign.

His move comes after a New York Times report about her campaign's efforts to peel off votes. Peltola is challenging the incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan in what has become a battleground state. The paper reported that her team worked with people who tried to recruit spoilers into the race. They found one, also named Dan Sullivan, to run as an independent candidate. The newspaper interviewed Peltola's former campaign manager and long-time aide, who was fired in August. She said Peltola was not directly involved in the project, but was "definitely aware."Peltola's campaign and the campaign arm for the Senate Democrats have denied any involvement.Last week, President Donald Trump ordered the Justice Department to file a lawsuit related to the Alaska race to block the certification of the results if the Republican senator loses his seat because of confusion over the similar names.