FBI Served Alaska Senate Candidate Gerald Heikes With Grand-Jury Subpoena

FBI agents served Gerald Heikes, a longshot candidate in Alaska's US Senate race, with a grand-jury subpoena on Saturday, October 31, 2026, just days before the November 3 midterm election, CNN reported on Friday, November 6, citing documents it reviewed. The subpoena orders Heikes, a drywall contractor from Palmer, Alaska, to appear before a grand jury with records connected to Democrat Mary Peltola's campaign, several political action committees, the Elias Law Group and other candidates in the race.

Key Points

• FBI agents served Alaska Senate candidate Gerald Heikes with a grand-jury subpoena on Saturday, October 31, 2026, CNN reported on November 6.
• The subpoena orders Heikes to appear before a grand jury with records tied to Mary Peltola's campaign, several political action committees, the Elias Law Group and other candidates.
• It was dated one day after a New York Times report alleged Peltola's campaign was linked to efforts to recruit spoiler candidates, including a second Dan Sullivan.
• It was signed by a senior leader of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division in Washington, D.C., rather than by an Alaska prosecutor.
• Heikes, a conservative running third with about 2 percent of the vote, told CNN he supports Senator Dan Sullivan over Peltola.

What Happened

Heikes was hours from home, helping a friend hang drywall, when FBI agents found him and handed him the subpoena. The document was dated October 29, one day after a New York Times investigation alleged that people connected to Peltola's campaign had worked to recruit candidates who could split the vote against Senator Dan Sullivan.

The subpoena does not accuse Heikes of wrongdoing. It compels him to appear before a grand jury and bring records relating to Peltola's campaign, several political action committees, the Elias Law Group and other candidates. Receiving a grand-jury subpoena does not mean the recipient is a target.

Background and Context

The Alaska Senate race has been tangled in fraud claims since late October, when the New York Times reported, based on 12 interviews and dozens of texts and documents, that operatives connected to Peltola's campaign had pursued a "ballot composition project" to recruit extra candidates. The most eye-catching recruit was Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired Petersburg schoolteacher who shares the sitting senator's name. Heikes, a conservative drywall contractor from Palmer, was recruited later, according to the Times.

Peltola denied any involvement on October 29 in Juneau, saying: "I just want to clear the air. I knew nothing about any other candidate on the ballot except for me and the incumbent. That is all I have ever known about. I am not interested in tricking voters." Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. has also denied coordinating with anyone, telling reporters: "Zero, none, zilch."

The federal response has widened steadily: dozens of subpoenas to the Peltola and Daniel Sullivan campaigns, 20 target letters in the Alaska ballot probe, a lawsuit to block certification if Senator Sullivan loses narrowly, and a bid to preserve and segregate ballots ranking Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., as covered in our earlier report on the DOJ's Alaska ballot-segregation bid. The race remains uncalled: in the latest count, Senator Sullivan led Peltola by fewer than 700 votes, with Heikes on about 2.3 percent and Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. on about 1.7 percent, and the ranked-choice tabulation still to come.

FBI Subpoena for Gerald Heikes: What the Document Demands

The subpoena's scope reaches well beyond Heikes himself. By demanding records tied to Peltola's campaign, political action committees, the Elias Law Group and other candidates, investigators appear to be mapping how the extra candidacies came about — who recruited whom, and whether the effort was coordinated with a campaign or a party committee.

Heikes told CNN that an operative whose name he does not know approached him earlier this year about running for the Senate. He said he supports Senator Sullivan over Peltola, a position that sits awkwardly with the theory that his candidacy was designed to help Peltola: in a ranked-choice race, a conservative third candidate would ordinarily draw votes away from the Republican incumbent, not from the Democrat. The Justice Department's filings have called the recruitment effort a "sham campaign for the purpose of misleading Alaskan voters."

Reactions and Quotes

President Donald Trump weighed in on Heikes on social media, posting that votes for Heikes and Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. should automatically go to Senator Sullivan, and calling Heikes a "slug." Trump has repeatedly described the second Dan Sullivan as a fraud candidate and pressed for Peltola to be removed from the ballot.

Peltola has denied any knowledge of efforts to recruit other candidates, and her campaign has rejected the Justice Department's claims. The Justice Department declined to comment on the subpoena, and CNN reported that it could not reach the operative Heikes described for comment.

Why It Matters

Serving a subpoena on a candidate on the ballot is a step beyond the subpoenas already sent to campaigns and political committees. It brings the federal investigation into direct contact with a person voters actually chose between, days before they voted.

The Washington signature matters too. A subpoena signed by a senior Civil Rights Division leader, rather than an Alaska prosecutor, underlines that this is a Justice Department priority directed from the capital. It does not change the count: the ballots are being counted under Alaska law, and the ranked-choice tabulation will decide the winner unless a court orders otherwise.

What Happens Next

Heikes is expected to appear before the grand jury with the records the subpoena demands, though no date for his appearance has been made public. Grand-jury proceedings are secret, so the public may learn nothing unless the investigation produces charges or a court filing.

Meanwhile, the count continues. Counties must still certify results, the ranked-choice tabulation is still to come, and the Justice Department's certification lawsuit is still pending.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Gerald Heikes?

Gerald Heikes is a drywall contractor from Palmer, Alaska, who ran as a conservative candidate in the 2026 US Senate race. He finished third with about 2 percent of the vote in a contest that remains uncalled between Senator Dan Sullivan and Mary Peltola.

What does the subpoena require him to do?

It orders him to appear before a grand jury with records related to Mary Peltola's campaign, several political action committees, the Elias Law Group and other candidates. Receiving a subpoena does not mean he is accused of wrongdoing.

When was the subpoena served?

FBI agents served it on Saturday, October 31, 2026, days before the November 3 election, while Heikes was hours from home helping a friend hang drywall. CNN reported the story on Friday, November 6, from documents it reviewed.

Why is the Justice Department investigating the Alaska race?

The department is examining claims, first reported by the New York Times, that operatives connected to Peltola's campaign recruited spoiler candidates, including a second Dan Sullivan. Peltola has denied any knowledge of the effort.

Has the Alaska Senate race been called?

No. Senator Sullivan led Peltola by fewer than 700 votes in the latest count, with thousands of late mail and affidavit ballots still to be counted and a ranked-choice tabulation still to come.