USAupdated 1h ago3 min read
Trump Administration Seeks To Block Alaska Senate Certification After Justice Department Revised Lawsuit
“NPR hasn't independently confirmed the Times' reporting, but it's roiled the Senate race”
“The Justice Department said the effort was intended to mislead voters and help elect Democratic candidate Mary Peltola.”
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Justice Department filed a revised lawsuit seeking to block Alaska's certification if Sullivan narrowly loses. The filing cites a New York Times report alleging Democrats recruited a spoiler candidate.
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Alaska Senate ballot fight
President Donald Trump’s administration escalated its bid to block Alaska’s Senate certification after the US Justice Department filed a revised lawsuit seeking to stop Alaska’s election results if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan narrowly loses. The revised complaint cited a New York Times report that Democratic operatives recruited another candidate named Sullivan who could siphon votes from the incumbent, and the Justice Department said the effort was intended to mislead voters and help elect Democratic candidate Mary Peltola. The dispute centered on the Alaska ballot’s unusual name overlap, with the Petersburg candidate listed as “Sullivan, Daniel J Jr” without a party affiliation and the senator listed as “Dan S Sullivan” as the incumbent.
The Alaska Supreme Court had already allowed the second Sullivan to appear on the ballot, and the Alaska division of elections listed the Petersburg candidate as “Sullivan, Daniel J Jr” without a party affiliation. The stakes widened as Reuters said the suit raised the prospect of a messy fight over a contest that could determine US Senate control in next Tuesday’s midterm elections, with Republicans holding a 53-47 majority and Democrats needing a net gain of four seats.
Competing claims and reactions
Elisa Rios told the New York Times that Peltola was not directly involved but was aware of the reported recruitment effort, and the Guardian said Rios retracted statements and told the Times she was “not willing to be a source for any story in any capacity.”
Nate Adams, a spokesperson for Sen. Sullivan, said the Peltola campaign “have spent months gaslighting Alaskans,” and President Trump called the Alaska findings “Voter Fraud at the Highest Level.”
The DSCC spokesperson told ABC News that it was “not involved with Dan J. Sullivan,” and the Guardian quoted a Democratic spokesperson saying “Republicans have a long history of recruiting and propping up candidates in an attempt to boost their own campaigns.”
The Alaska Department of Law told ABC News that the Times story confirmed its initial concerns about Dan J. Sullivan’s candidacy, while the Department said it had no impact on the DOJ litigation.
NPR reported that Alaska governor Mike Dunleavy directed the state’s Department of Public Safety to “investigate whether this scheme violated Alaska's laws and whether criminal charges or civil action are warranted.”
What comes next
The Justice Department’s amended complaint sought to block certification “pending an investigation to determine whether votes cast for Daniel J. Sullivan were meant to be cast for Senator Sullivan,” and Reuters said the revised probe involved more than 40 subpoenas and document requests.
The Guardian said the Alaska Supreme Court approved both Sullivans on the ballot four months earlier, and the Alaska division of elections listed the Petersburg candidate as “Sullivan, Daniel J Jr” without a party affiliation.
Reuters said the suit raised the prospect of a messy fight over a contest that could determine US Senate control in next Tuesday’s midterm elections, and it framed the outcome as a potential shift in chamber control.
The Guardian reported that Trump demanded Peltola and the second Sullivan be removed from the ballot and prosecuted, and it quoted Trump’s post saying, “There is no other option! We cannot allow this behavior to continue in our elections,”
ABC News added that the Alaska Department of Law said “Placing candidates on the ballot is a matter of state law, not federal law,” as the Alaska Supreme Court had ordered the Division to place Daniel J. on the primary election ballot.