Trump team files lawsuit to block certification of Alaska Senate race
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The Trump administration has filed a lawsuit to prevent the certification of Alaska’s Senate race if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses while another candidate with the same name is on the ballot.
The legal action launches what many expect to be a drawn-out struggle between federal authorities and state officials over election certification in a state where the president’s party is struggling.
Figures across the political spectrum view Alaska as a pivotal battleground, where Sullivan faces Democrat Mary Peltola. Also appearing on the ballot is Daniel J. Sullivan, who hails from the small fishing community of Petersburg. He maintains he entered the race independently, but Republicans claim he is a Democratic plant seeking to strip away votes.
The Department of Justice filed a federal lawsuit in Alaska on Thursday requesting that state officials be barred from certifying a Peltola win if the other Sullivan stays on the ballot.
“The United States accordingly brings this lawsuit to protect the integrity of the 2026 Senate election in Alaska,” the suit asserts, arguing federal law mandates state protection of federal election integrity.
Trump said earlier this week that he was examining ways to have the retired teacher removed from the ballot – for the second time.
“I am very concerned about the Dan S. Sullivan Race for the U.S. Senate in Alaska in that it is totally confusing, with the Dumocrats putting up another man, totally unrelated to Politics, named Daniel J. Sullivan, Jr,” he wrote. “It’s ridiculous that the Court didn’t stop this SCAM.”
“Even 1, 2, or 3% could make the difference,” Trump said. “Dan S. Sullivan is leading by a lot, but this is CHEATING in an Election, and the Judge that allowed this to happen should be ashamed of himself.”
Republican efforts to remove the other Sullivan were previously rejected by the Alaska Supreme Court, with state Republican officials determining how candidates appear on the ballot. The non-incumbent Sullivan is listed without party affiliation, while the senator is shown as the Republican incumbent. Alaska’s ranked choice voting system permits voters to select both individuals if they’re confused.
Trump’s Department of Justice has increasingly functioned to bolster the president’s political operation, pursuing lawsuits against Democratic-controlled states and targeting political opponents ahead of the election.
Voting rights advocates and Democrats have warned that the Trump administration might attempt to block election certifications if the president’s party loses, echoing efforts following his defeat in the 2020 presidential election.
Earlier Thursday, Attorney General Todd Blanche told journalists that such actions were improbable outside extreme circumstances.
“It is not DOJ’s intention to and it’s never our intention to improperly interfere with elections or the state certification process,” he said in Virginia.
Derek Muller, a Notre Dame University law professor, said the legal challenge would likely only matter if Republicans narrowly lose the Alaska contest, adding that it lacks legal basis.
“The statute simply doesn’t let the Department of Justice enjoin certification,” he explained.
