Trump has repeatedly criticised Daniel J. Sullivan’s presence on the ballot.
Democrats and voting rights advocates have warned that the administration could try to prevent the certification of results in races lost by Trump’s party, drawing comparisons with the president’s unsuccessful attempts to overturn his 2020 defeat to Joe Biden. The US Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent Alaska from certifying its Senate election results if Republican Senator Dan Sullivan loses to Democrat Mary Peltola while another candidate with the same name remains on the ballot. The case could trigger a wider legal battle between the Trump administration and state authorities over the certification of election results, particularly in races where Republicans face a risk of losing seats. It asks the court to block the certification of a Peltola victory if Daniel J. Sullivan, a candidate from the small fishing community of Petersburg, remains on the ballot. Daniel J. Sullivan will also appear on the ballot without a party designation, while the senator will be identified as the Republican incumbent. Alaska’s ranked choice voting system allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference, meaning voters confused by the two names could select both. Neither the senator’s campaign nor Daniel J. Sullivan immediately responded to requests for comment. The Trump administration has increasingly used the Justice Department to pursue legal action against political opponents and Democratic-controlled states ahead of elections. Republicans have also been linked to an effort to encourage Ohio voters to support a socialist candidate in that state’s Senate race. The move could help Republican Senator Jon Husted fend off a challenge from former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Alaska on Thursday, argues that the state must protect the integrity of federal elections.