Trump's DOJ sued Alaska to block its Senate result if Sen. Dan Sullivan loses
The suit targets a second Dan Sullivan on the ballot and asks a judge to hold certification pending a federal probe.
President Trump's Justice Department sued Alaska on Thursday, asking a federal judge to block certification of the state's U.S. Senate race if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses and the result "may be impacted by voter confusion."
The complaint, United States v. Alaska (No. 3:26-cv-00376), was filed Oct. 22 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska. It names the state, Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher and the state's election and ballot-review boards.
The fight is over a second candidate. Daniel J. Sullivan of Petersburg is also on the Nov. 3 ballot, alongside Democrat Mary Peltola, a former U.S. representative, and Republican Gerald Heikes. The Justice Department claims his "sole purpose" is "to benefit the Peltola campaign by reducing the number of votes for Senator Sullivan." Daniel J. Sullivan has said he chose to run on his own, the Associated Press reported, and the Alaska Supreme Court rejected earlier Republican efforts to remove him from the ballot.
The department's only legal claim rests on the National Voter Registration Act, a 1993 law mostly about registering voters and keeping voter rolls accurate. It cites one of the law's stated purposes, "to protect the integrity of the electoral process," and asks the court to hold off certification "pending an investigation" into whether votes for Daniel J. Sullivan "were meant to be cast for Senator Sullivan."
Legal experts are skeptical. "The statute simply doesn't let the Department of Justice enjoin certification," Derek Muller, a Notre Dame law professor, told the AP. Attorney General Todd Blanche told reporters, "It is not DOJ's intention to and it's never our intention to improperly interfere with elections," according to the AP.
Alaska uses ranked-choice voting, so voters can rank both Sullivans. The race could help decide control of the Senate.
Still unknown: which judge will hear the case, whether a hearing has been set, and how Alaska election officials and the campaigns will respond.
Before a single vote is counted, the federal government is asking a court for a way to hold up a result it may not like. It follows the department's push to freeze 20,000 California ballots. We condemn a lawsuit designed to put a federal investigation between Alaska voters and their choice.
If you vote in Alaska, read the names on your ballot carefully and rank the candidates you mean to support.
Sources
- Complaint, United States v. Alaska, No. 3:26-cv-00376 (D. Alaska, filed Oct. 22, 2026) (copy posted by Democracy Docket)
- Trump administration sues to block possible Democratic win in Alaska Senate race, Associated Press (via KSAT)
- Trump admin. sues to block Alaska Senate certification if Sen. Dan Sullivan loses, CBS News
- 52 U.S.C. § 20501, National Voter Registration Act findings and purposes, Cornell Legal Information Institute
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