With the midterm election campaign entering its final days, the eyes of the nation are turning — as they almost never do — to the great state of Alaska.
Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy ordered an investigation into whether the campaign of Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola violated state laws or should face criminal charges or civil action for allegedly recruiting an outside contender with the same name as the Republican incumbent.
The probe follows a report alleging that operatives connected to Ms. Peltola’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee helped recruit a retired teacher named Dan J. Sullivan Jr. to enter the U.S. Senate race against incumbent GOP Sen. Dan S. Sullivan. The idea, of course, is to split the GOP vote and hand the election to Ms. Peltola.
The governor said this tactic is meant to “deliberately confuse voters and misdirect their votes.”
“I am therefore directing the Department of Public Safety to investigate whether this scheme violated Alaska’s laws and whether criminal charges or civil action are warranted. The evidence will determine what happens next,” said Mr. Dunleavy, a Republican.
The New York Times reported that the “ballot composition project” began in the summer of 2025 and led to the recruitment of Dan J. Sullivan. He says with a straight face that he came up with the idea all by himself.
Ms. Peltola’s campaign and the DSCC are shocked — shocked! — that anyone would accuse them of dirty tricks.
“The Alaskans for Mary campaign has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign and did not recruit any candidates into the race,” the campaign said.
President Trump, whose quality of life would nosedive over the next two years if Democrats capture the Senate, is already convinced of a scam and called for Ms. Peltola to be removed from the ballot. That won’t happen.
This 11th-hour drama in the farthest reaches of the republic underscores how much is at stake for Mr. Trump in the midterms, and how he’s scrambling to extinguish anti-Trump brushfires across the election map.
From Alaska to Texas to Maine, Mr. Trump and the GOP are fighting an uphill battle against traditional voter unrest in midterm elections and fresh cost-of-living anxiety fueled largely by Mr. Trump’s war of choice in Iran.
Republicans got some good economic news this week on two fronts. U.S. economic growth accelerated over the summer, the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis said in a report showing consumer spending remains strong despite inflation grumbles. Gross domestic product, a broad measure of goods and services in the country, grew 3.4% in the quarter spanning June, July and August, up from 2.2% during the spring quarter.
Businesses are investing in the artificial intelligence sector, and consumer spending increased 3.8%, making them twin contributors to growth.
Also, the Federal Reserve decided to keep interest rates steady, mollifying investors and holding the line on the cost of borrowing until at least December.
In his tireless barnstorming for Republicans, the octogenarian Mr. Trump says he’s done everything possible to lower costs for consumers. He’s pointing to his success in negotiating lower prescription drug prices as a huge win that, by itself, should propel Republicans to victory.
Many voters will not know whether they are benefiting from the discounts, however, and overall inflation and foreign wars have overshadowed the issue, creating a mismatch between Mr. Trump’s hopes and campaign realities.
“It’s eclipsed by Iran, tariffs — all the other aspects of the affordability concerns,” said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a former director of the Congressional Budget Office and the current president of the American Action Forum, a center-right nonprofit.
You might be shocked — shocked! — to learn that Democrats plan to massively boost government spending on Obamacare subsidies if they win control of Congress.
The plan, which could cost as much as $350 billion, is one of the few concrete legislative proposals Democrats have offered as they campaign to lower the cost of living.
“We’re going to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, which will help make health insurance premiums more affordable for over 20 million Americans directly and tens of millions more whose premiums have increased indirectly, even if they may be on private insurance,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, New York Democrat.
Also, Democrats could capture a majority of the nation’s governorships for the first time since 2010. Republicans hold 26 governorships compared with 24 for Democrats.
With 36 governorships on the ballot, Democrats hope to flip Republican strongholds in Ohio, Iowa and Georgia while holding the top state spots in politically divided Wisconsin, Arizona and Michigan.
That would give Democrats a larger platform to challenge Mr. Trump’s policies and strengthen their position ahead of the 2028 presidential election.
It would also be critical for Democrats as they prepare for upcoming redistricting fights, battles over election integrity, abortion restrictions and immigration enforcement.
