While many people saw trick-or-treaters knock on their doors this weekend, some in Southeast Alaska were instead visited by the FBI. The agents were checking on donors to Dan J. Sullivan's campaign for U.S. Senate as part of a federal investigation.
In Petersburg, Barry Bracken was one of those donors. He has known Dan J. Sullivan for over 40 years. When Sullivan announced his campaign for U.S. Senate this summer, Bracken, an independent voter, was one of the first to donate.
He said he was surprised on Friday when two federal agents in plain clothes rang his doorbell and identified themselves as FBI. They told Bracken they were investigating election fraud.
"They basically asked me whether I had voluntarily donated to Dan," Bracken said. "And I said yes that we had — and, maybe a little bit snarky — I made the comment that I would not have donated to the other Dan Sullivan."
The FBI visits to donors in Petersburg, as well as in Sitka, and Juneau, come amid an increased federal focus on Alaska's election, just days before the Nov. 3 vote. Alaska's federal attorney Michael Heyman on Friday mentioned a "surge" in FBI resources to the state in the wake of a New York Times article alleging Democrats recruited Dan J. Sullivan as a spoiler candidate for the Senate race.
The Petersburg Sullivan has the same first and last name as Alaska's Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, who is running for reelection in a closely watched race that could impact which party takes control of the Senate. The Trump administration sued to block certifying the election results if the incumbent Sullivan narrowly lost the race, citing potential voter confusion. A U.S. District judge threw out that lawsuit on Sunday.
The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this story.
Many donors who were visited by the FBI this weekend — when talking with KFSK — described their interactions with the agents as "brief" and "professional," but said it still felt like voter harassment.
"The more I think about it, the more angry I become, and it's a waste of taxpayer money," Bracken said.
Paul Johnsen is an independent voter in Petersburg who donated $500 to Dan J. Sullivan's campaign
"I think it goes along with interference, kind of generated by [the] Trump administration," Johnsen said.
He said the FBI only asked him a couple of questions when they visited on Saturday: whether he intended to donate to a Senate campaign, and which Dan Sullivan he intended to donate to.
"I said, 'Petersburg Dan Sullivan,' and I think that's all they wanted to know, and they left," Johnsen said.
Other donors to Dan J. Sullivan's campaign also told KFSK that they weren't confused and knew who they were giving money to.
"It feels like a waste of time and resources," said Democrat Erica Kludt-Painter, who talked with the FBI at her house in Petersburg.
"People can like or not like how Dan J. Sullivan entered the race or is running his campaign, but he has a legal right to be on the ballot," she said. "It's already been litigated or decided on, and I, as a voter in the state of Alaska, have the right to donate to any campaign I want. And I have the right to vote for who I want, without feeling threatened by our own government."
Dan J. Sullivan donor and Petersburg resident Linda Slaght did not get contacted by the FBI, but said she donated a second time after hearing about the FBI visits.
"Obviously it's election interference," she said. "And there's probably an element of voter intimidation because while a lot of people have voted early, a lot of us are waiting to vote on Tuesday, and I really feel like they're trying to put their thumb on the scales," Slaght said.
She said the local Sullivan has endured a lot during this election cycle.
"Because of all this harassment, he had to spend a lot of his money on legal fees just to get the right to be on the ballot," she said. "And I think he had a good message to share, but he hasn't been able to get it out because he's been busy fighting all these false allegations."
The FBI visits are only the latest in a series of Dan Sullivan-related controversies that have drawn national attention to the small island town of Petersburg this year.
KFSK contacted Dan J. Sullivan, and he declined to comment.
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