The Justice Department has sued Alaska election officials to block certification of the state's November Senate results if incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses, a step President Donald Trump said he ordered.1,3,6,7
The suit, filed in federal court in Anchorage, names the state and local election officials as defendants. NBC News, The Hill and France 24 said it was filed Thursday, while CBS News and the Daily Caller said it was filed Friday. France 24 reported that control of the Senate could come down to Alaska, where Sullivan is in a close race against Democrat Mary Peltola, and that Republicans narrowly control both chambers of Congress.1,2,3,4,7
The department argued that the presence on the ballot of another candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan, could mislead supporters of the senator. "For example, some supporters of Senator Sullivan likely will inadvertently vote for Daniel J. Sullivan," the filing says. "To guard against this danger, it is vital that Defendants not certify any election result that may be impacted by voter confusion," it adds. The department asks a court to block certification if Senator Sullivan does not win and, had the votes cast for the challenger gone to Senator Sullivan under Alaska's rank-choice process, he would have won.3,7
Trump told reporters Friday that he directed the suit. "I'm the one that said do it," he said, calling the challenger's candidacy "a disgrace." The filing from Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward said the action was brought "to protect the integrity of the 2026 Senate election in Alaska." A Justice Department spokesperson said the candidacy "was intended to mislead voters and compromise the fairness of the ballot."1,3,7
The challenger is described by the Daily Caller as a retired schoolteacher from Petersburg and by France 24 as a former U.S. Forest Service worker and elementary school teacher. France 24 reported that he filed to run on May 29, while the Daily Caller said he entered the race in June. He has denied in interviews with U.S. news outlets that his aim is to cause confusion or divert votes from the senator, France 24 reported.2,7
The Alaska Supreme Court permitted the challenger to appear on the ballot in June, France 24 reported. The Daily Caller said Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher wrote to him in an Aug. 26 letter that his declaration of candidacy "was not filed in order to declare an actual good-faith candidacy." He will appear without a party designation, while the senator is listed as the Republican incumbent.2,7
Alaska's Division of Elections said in a statement that it is reviewing the complaint and is "focused on running the ongoing election and giving voter's confidence that their votes will count." The statement also cited "assisting voters and avoiding voter confusion."3
Peltola, the Democratic nominee, wrote on X, "This is the corruption AK is fed up with," and said Sullivan was "using his DC allies to try to keep himself in power." She told MS NOW that "there just isn't much room for confusion" on the ballot. Alaska's other senator, Republican Lisa Murkowski, said Friday that the Justice Department "should never have filed this lawsuit." Sullivan's Senate office and campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment.3,7
Attorney General Todd Blanche told reporters Thursday that "it is not DOJ's intention to, and it's never our intention to, improperly interfere with elections or the state confirmation process or certification process." He said, "I'm not trying to not have an election certified. Of course not," and NBC reported there could be some "doomsday" scenario in which the department would seek to get involved.3
U.S. elections are run by state and local officials, who are charged with certifying results. The department's role is limited by law, which chiefly allows it to safeguard civil rights and prosecute people who violate election law. Justin Levitt, an NBC News contributor who was a Justice Department official during the Obama administration, said there is no law that says the department can challenge ballots or delay certification.3
Election law experts quoted by France 24 said the lawsuit has no merit and seeks relief not allowed under federal law. Derek Muller, a Notre Dame law professor, wrote in a blog post that, "like many Department letters over the last few years, it is designed to win the press release rather than the litigation."7
The case comes as France 24, citing Reuters, described the administration as taking an increasingly aggressive approach to election oversight, including pressing states for voter-registration data. Election officials around the country told Reuters they are preparing for potential federal interference, including legal challenges.7
It is not clear why the department chose to act now, with Election Day less than two weeks away. David Becker of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, a nonpartisan group that advises election officials, said the administration "has absolutely no authority to tell Alaska when or how to certify the results of its Senate election." He added that "this issue has already been fully litigated by Alaska's courts."3,7
