Trump administration sues to block Alaska Senate certification
The Justice Department wants Alaska barred from certifying its Senate result if the Republican incumbent loses, citing a namesake challenger on the ballot.
Anchorage — The Trump administration has sued the state of Alaska to stop it certifying the result of its US Senate race should the Republican incumbent lose narrowly, arguing that voters could be confused by a second Republican on the ballot with an almost identical name.
The Department of Justice suit, filed in federal court in Anchorage on Thursday, targets a race that could decide control of the Senate in the November 3 midterms. Incumbent Republican Dan S. Sullivan is running a close contest against Democrat Mary Peltola, France 24 reported. Republicans hold narrow majorities in both chambers of Congress.
The complaint centres on another contender, Dan J. Sullivan Jr, a former US Forest Service worker and schoolteacher, whom the DOJ alleges is running "with the intention of misleading supporters of Senator Sullivan into voting for him". It asks a judge to block certification of any outcome "that may be impacted by voter confusion" pending an investigation.
Trump told reporters on Friday that he supported the lawsuit, saying "I'm the one that said do it." A DOJ spokesperson said the agency was taking "necessary steps" to ensure a "frivolous candidacy" did not undermine the election's integrity. The challenger has denied seeking to divert votes; the Alaska Supreme Court permitted him on the ballot in June, where he appears without a party designation.
Pushback has come from both parties. Alaska's other US senator, Republican Lisa Murkowski, said the Justice Department "should never have filed this lawsuit". Election law experts dismissed the case as meritless: Notre Dame professor Derek Muller described the legal argument as among the worst he had ever seen, while David Becker of the Center for Election Innovation and Research said the administration "has absolutely no authority to tell Alaska when or how to certify" its result. Peltola argued the ballot design leaves little room for confusion.
The suit lands as Trump's approval rating sits at a record low, dragged down by rising diesel and gasoline prices during the Iran war, and with polls suggesting Republicans could lose one or both chambers — an outcome that would crimp his agenda for his final two years. Election officials nationwide have told Reuters they are bracing for federal legal challenges that could disrupt certification. The first test will be the Anchorage federal court's ruling, before votes are counted on November 3.
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