The Dan Sullivan 'conspiracy' that has Trump seething - ABC listen - ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Could US voters be confused by two candidates named Dan Sullivan on the ballot in Alaska's Senate race.

New York Times' reporting suggests there was an elaborate scheme by Democratic party operatives to get another Dan Sullivan on the ballot against the Republican incumbent. 

The US Justice Department says that if the original Dan Sullivan narrowly loses, the result should not be certified and an investigation should be launched into whether voters were confused.

So are voters confused, and what could the reporting about the second Dan Sullivan mean for the result?

Barbara Miller: The Senate race in the US state of Alaska just took another twist. Here are the facts. There's a Democrat called Mary Peltola running and there are two men called Dan Sullivan running. One is the current Republican Senator that's Dan S Sullivan. One is a retired teacher that's Dan J Sullivan. And that's the guy Donald Trump says is a fake candidate.

Donald Trump, US President: There's a guy that never ran for office. He never had anything to do with politics. He just happened to have the name Dan Sullivan. Not even that, he even looks a little bit like him. Do you ever see the pictures? It's the craziest thing I've ever seen.

Barbara Miller: The Department of Justice has launched legal action arguing voters could be confused by the two Dans on the ballot. They say if Senator Dan narrowly loses, the results shouldn't be certified and an investigation launched into whether voters were confused. So are voters confused? James Brooks is a state reporter with the Alaska Beacon.

James Brooks, Alaska Beacon state reporter: It's possible but unlikely. If you look at a sample ballot or if you go to the polls as I did, they're labelled completely differently. Senator Dan Sullivan is listed as Republican incumbent and Dan J Sullivan is listed as Daniel J Sullivan Jr. and has no party listed after his name. People in Alaska have been inundated with ads, mailers, phone calls and at this point it's difficult to find anyone who doesn't know what's happening.

Barbara Miller: Reporting in the New York Times has now further shaken things up. It suggests there was a complex and elaborate scheme by the Democratic camp to track down the Dan Sullivan's of Alaska. Some of them were then approached over beers in a pub by a mysterious operative who used a fake name. While that sounds kind of wild, the practice of ballot stacking, getting other people on the ballot to divert votes from your opponent is a known tactic.

James Brooks: Correct, it's not illegal and it's actually fairly common.

Barbara Miller: Donald Trump is not calling this New York Times reporting fake news.

Donald Trump: This behaviour in our elections cannot be allowed to continue. It's just terrible. So it's being looked at very strong. I think it's a criminal act, what they did, because it was a conspiracy. It didn't just happen.

Barbara Miller: Veteran reporter James Brooks says he was pretty taken aback by the allegations in the New York Times, but he says the denials about the accuracy of the reports should be closely scrutinised.

James Brooks: They very much surprised me because they contradicted what Dan J. Sullivan had told me himself. He told me that he had not been involved with the Peltola campaign. And if an intermediary was used, as the Times reporting suggests, what he told me would have been accurate but was certainly misleading. And similarly, the Alaskans for Mary campaign had told me, no we did not have an involvement with Dan J Sullivan which again may be accurate but the Times reporting indicates that it could have been misleading.

Barbara Miller: So what now? Well it's still to be determined whether the DOJ has legal standing to bring its case in Alaska. Meanwhile the governor of Alaska has ordered an investigation into the New York Times allegations. It could all lead to legal wrangling over the result of the Alaska Senate race, one of the contests that could determine which party controls the chamber after the midterm elections. As for Dan J Sullivan

James Brooks: He has been completely radio silent.