Prosecutors subpoena Alaska Senate long-shot in probe of alleged Democratic spoiler recruitment

Federal prosecutors subpoenaed Gerald Heikes, a long-shot Republican candidate in Alaska's Senate race, to testify before a grand jury and produce records related to Democratic candidate Mary Peltola's campaign and several PACs. The investigation examines whether Democratic-aligned operatives recruited spoiler candidates. Heikes denies being recruited. Peltola leads the initial count with 48.2% of the vote.

Federal prosecutors have subpoenaed Gerald Heikes, a long-shot Republican candidate in Alaska's Senate race, ordering him to appear before a grand jury and produce records related to Democratic candidate Mary Peltola's campaign, several political action committees, and the Elias Law Group. The subpoena is part of an accelerating criminal investigation into whether Democratic-aligned operatives recruited spoiler candidates, including one who shares a name with incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan. Peltola has denied any knowledge of such efforts. The subpoena was signed by a senior official in the Justice Department's civil rights division in Washington, not a local prosecutor. Heikes told CNN he was not recruited and that he decided to run out of fascination. He supports Sullivan over Peltola. As of Friday morning, Peltola led the initial count by roughly 600 ballots with 48.2% of the vote; because of Alaska's ranked-choice system, the winner may not be confirmed until November 18. Heikes has won about 2% of the vote so far, with an estimated quarter of ballots still uncounted.