Trump Administration Sues to Block Certification of Possible Democratic Senate Victory in Alaska

October 23, 2026

The Trump administration has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to prevent Alaska from certifying a Democratic victory in its closely contested U.S. Senate race if a second candidate named Dan Sullivan remains on the ballot.

Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan faces Democrat Mary Peltola, but another candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan of Petersburg, Alaska, is also running. Republicans claim the second Sullivan is intended to confuse voters and draw support away from the incumbent. The candidate denies that allegation and says he entered the race independently.

The Alaska Supreme Court previously rejected Republican efforts to remove the second Sullivan from the ballot. State election officials, who are Republicans, have distinguished the candidates by identifying the incumbent as a Republican while listing the other Sullivan without a party designation. Alaska's ranked-choice voting system also allows voters to rank both candidates.

Despite those safeguards, the Justice Department argues that allowing both names on the ballot threatens election integrity and is seeking to block certification of a Peltola victory under those circumstances.

The lawsuit raises broader questions about federal intervention in state election certification. Democrats and voting-rights advocates fear the administration could use legal challenges to contest unfavorable election results.

Attorney General Todd Blanche has stated that the Justice Department does not intend to improperly interfere with election certification.

Notre Dame election-law professor Derek Muller questioned the lawsuit's legal foundation, arguing that the federal statute cited does not authorize the Justice Department to stop certification.

The central issue: Whether the federal government has the legal authority to prevent a state from certifying an election because two candidates share the same name, particularly after state courts have already addressed the ballot dispute.

Source: The Associated Press, October 23, 2026.Reporting by Nicholas Riccardi, Associated Press.This is a condensed summary of Riccardi's original reporting, not an independent account of the litigation