US President Donald Trump said he ordered the Justice Department to file a lawsuit seeking to block certification of Alaska’s Senate election results if the Republican incumbent loses. The move has raised concerns about federal interference in an election that could help decide control of the Senate.
Trump spoke to reporters on Friday as he arrived in Florida for a campaign rally. He confirmed that he had directed the legal action.
“I’m the one that said do it,” Trump said.
The lawsuit was filed less than two weeks before election day. The Justice Department argues that two candidates with similar names could confuse voters and affect the result. Voting rights experts have questioned the legal basis for the case and warned that it could undermine confidence in the election process.
The race is closely watched because control of the Senate may depend on the result in Alaska.
Lawsuit Focuses on Similar Candidate Names
Republican Senator Dan Sullivan is seeking another term. He faces Democratic nominee Mary Peltola, a former member of Congress. A second candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan, is also running as a Republican.
Daniel J. Sullivan is a retired schoolteacher who lives in Petersburg, a small town in southern Alaska. The Trump administration claims his candidacy could draw votes away from the incumbent because voters may confuse the two names.
The Justice Department’s complaint argues that the second candidate’s “sole purpose” is to help Peltola by reducing support for the sitting senator.
The department says there is a risk that the election result could fail to reflect a fair process. It is asking for certification to be paused while officials investigate whether votes cast for Daniel J. Sullivan were actually intended for the incumbent.
However, the lawsuit does not establish that voters will confuse the candidates or that the second candidate is acting on behalf of Democrats.
Legal Experts Question the Case
Election law experts have described the lawsuit as weak. Derek Mueller, a law professor at the University of Notre Dame, said the legal argument had little chance of success.
In a blog post, Mueller wrote that the claim was so limited that it was unlikely to succeed in court.
David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, called the lawsuit an unprecedented federal intervention. He said the issue involving the two candidates had already been fully addressed by Alaska’s courts.
Becker also warned that the case raised serious concerns about political interference. He said he could not recall another administration trying to stop election certification shortly before voting ended.
The timing has added to the controversy. With election day approaching, a pause in certification could create uncertainty over when the final result would be confirmed.
A secret ballot also makes it difficult to determine what a voter intended after a vote has been cast. Experts say this could make the proposed investigation hard to carry out in practice.
Trump and Republicans Target Second Candidate
Trump and his allies have repeatedly described Daniel J. Sullivan as an impostor, but they have not provided evidence that he is part of a plan to help Democrats.
Other Republicans have also accused the retired teacher of being a Democratic plant. They argue that his presence on the ballot could reduce the incumbent’s vote share.
The allegations have become part of a wider political fight over the Alaska race. Polls suggest that Dan Sullivan and Peltola are running closely, increasing the importance of every vote.
The second candidate’s presence is legal under the current ballot rules. The dispute is over whether his similar name could create enough confusion to justify federal action against certification.
Alaska Voting Rules Add to Debate
Trump has also criticized Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system, which voters approved in 2020. He has called the system a scam and urged residents to support a ballot measure to repeal it.
Under the system, the four candidates who receive the most votes in an open primary advance to the general election. Voters then rank candidates in order of preference.
If no candidate wins outright under the rules, votes for lower-ranked candidates can transfer to the next choice on a voter’s ballot as candidates are eliminated.
The incumbent senator will appear on the November 3 ballot with the words “(Registered Republican) Incumbent” beside his name. The label is intended to help voters distinguish him from the other candidate.
Election officials and courts now face a dispute that could affect the final stage of the race. The lawsuit’s outcome may determine whether certification proceeds as planned.
For now, experts say the case faces serious legal hurdles. The central question is whether the government can delay certification based on possible voter confusion when secret ballots make it nearly impossible to establish individual voters’ intentions after the election.
