The Trump administration sued Alaska in federal court on Thursday in an Alaska Senate election lawsuit that seeks to block certification of the Senate result if Republican Dan Sullivan loses by fewer votes than a namesake, Daniel J Sullivan Jr, receives. The race is part of the November 3 midterms, in which Sullivan faces Democrat Mary Peltola.
According to Al Jazeera, the US Department of Justice filed the suit to delay certification pending an investigation into possible voter confusion and whether voters mistakenly supported the wrong Sullivan. The department argues that Daniel J Sullivan Jr, a retired teacher who registered as a Republican, is deliberately trying to confuse voters.
Associate Attorney General Stanley E Woodward Jr asserted in the filing that the sole purpose of the second Sullivan’s candidacy was to benefit Peltola’s campaign by reducing votes for the senator, according to BBC World. These are the department’s allegations, and the outlet’s account does not include independent findings to support them.
When asked about the lawsuit after landing in Florida for a campaign rally on Friday, Trump told reporters, "I’m the one that said do it," according to BBC World.
Alaska’s Supreme Court has ruled that both Sullivan candidates may remain on the ballot, according to Al Jazeera. Alaska uses ranked-choice voting, under which voters can rank candidates and votes transfer when a candidate is eliminated.
Peltola is a former congresswoman who became the first Alaska Native elected to the US House in 2022. Senator Sullivan is seeking a third six-year term. In August’s primary, Peltola received 49.5 percent of the vote and Sullivan about 41 percent, according to Al Jazeera. BBC World describes polling as tight, with Peltola holding a narrow lead, but gives no specific figures.
Experts quoted by Al Jazeera disagreed on the lawsuit. Glenn Wright called it bad faith or a misunderstanding of Alaska’s system, while Derek Muller called the legal argument "absurdly thin." Muller also questioned why the department waited until days before the election. The sources contain no Justice Department explanation for the timing.
The two outlets also differ on Trump’s 2024 margin in Alaska. Al Jazeera says he won the state by roughly 13 percentage points, while BBC World says the margin was 14 points.
A federal judge must consider the Justice Department’s request before the November 3 election. The department cannot independently stop certification, so any delay depends on a court order. Al Jazeera reports that no federal court has ordered Alaska to suspend certification, and no ruling on the lawsuit has been reported.
Neither Sullivan nor Peltola had commented on the lawsuit, according to BBC World, and no Justice Department response beyond its filing has been reported. A Japan Times item on the case contained only a headline and a short excerpt, so its claim that Trump "orders" the lawsuit could not be verified.
Sources
This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.