USAupdated 1h ago2 min read
Archive photo · 10 August 2026Todd Blanche Defends DOJ Suit Blocking Alaska Senate Certification After Trump Says “I’m The One”
“essentially trying to nullify an opponent’s potential win before the game has been called”
“We’re not laying any groundwork for the president to do that,”
Photo: Ryan M. Biller / US federal government, Public domain · Cropped for layout
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
DOJ seeks to block Alaska Senate certification over a homonym on the ballot. Blanche defended the suit on CNN and CBS, citing voter confusion prevention.
Blanche defends Alaska suit
Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the Department of Justice decision to sue to prevent the certification of a Republican loss in Alaska’s tight Senate race, and he framed the challenge as a way to address “confusion” tied to the names on the ballot. Blanche told CNN’s “State of the Union” that “Why is this controversial?” and he accused one of the candidates of intentionally trying to confuse voters, saying, “We’re going to try to create a situation where that can be remedied.”
Blanche also defended the timing and purpose of the lawsuit, which the Justice Department filed on October 22, and he argued that the court should be able to determine whether confusion led to an “unjust, improper result.” President Donald Trump said “I’m the one who said do it,” and the lawsuit sought an order declaring the race’s certification “unlawful” and barring Alaska from “allowing such a certification to occur.”
Two Sullivans, one ballot
Senator Dan S Sullivan, the Republican incumbent, sought re-election against former U.S. Representative Mary Peltola, a Democrat, in a race that also included another candidate named Dan J Sullivan, a former Forest Service employee.
Blanche argued that the presence of two candidates named Dan Sullivan was a recipe for confusion, telling CNN, “It is wrong,” and he said the system “should not have a candidate who has to worry about another candidate being on the ballot for no other reason than to confuse voters.”
Alaska’s Division of Elections took steps to reduce confusion, and the November 3 ballot would list Dan S Sullivan as the incumbent and as a “registered Republican,” while Dan J Sullivan would have the suffix “Jr” and no party affiliation.
The Justice Department’s case said the race would be “tainted” by the inclusion on the ballot of Daniel J Sullivan, and it argued that if votes cast for Daniel J Sullivan had instead been cast for Senator Sullivan, the rank-choice process would have produced a different winner.
Criticism and what’s at stake
Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola and Senate Democrats asked a federal judge to dismiss the Justice Department’s challenge, and their motion called the lawsuit “an unprecedented pre-emptive strike on democratic elections.” The motion argued the case “directly threatens both Proposed Intervenors’ interests” by demanding that defendants refuse to certify the election if Peltola wins, and it said the filing was “part of a nationwide attack on free elections by the federal government.”
Blanche insisted the Department of Justice was not trying to take over state election administration, and he told CNN’s “State of the Union,” “President Trump is not trying to take over a state election in any way, shape, or form.” The dispute threatened Alaska’s certification process in the run-up to the November 3 midterm election, and the Justice Department sought to preserve a court path to block certification if it found confusion violated the law and affected who the senator should be.