Trump Says He Ordered Alaska Election Lawsuit as DOJ Seeks Certification Delay
· News Team
October 23, 2026 | U.S. Politics — President Donald Trump said Friday that he directed the U.S. Justice Department to bring a lawsuit challenging how Alaska could certify the result of its closely fought Senate election, intensifying a dispute over two candidates who share nearly identical names.
The federal complaint, filed in Anchorage on October 22, alleges that Daniel J. Sullivan is running to confuse voters who intend to support incumbent Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan. It seeks a court order preventing certification of an election result affected by that alleged confusion and calls for scrutiny of the disputed votes. The allegations have not been established by a federal court.
The incumbent faces Democrat Mary Peltola in the November 3 midterm election, a race that could influence which party controls the U.S. Senate. Daniel J. Sullivan, a retired teacher, has denied trying to mislead voters or acting as a spoiler for Democrats. Alaska’s Supreme Court ruled in June that he could appear on the ballot after state election officials attempted to exclude him.
Alaska’s ballot distinguishes the candidates: the sitting senator is identified as the Republican incumbent, while the other Sullivan is listed without a party designation. The state also uses ranked-choice voting in its general elections.
The Justice Department says its intervention is necessary to protect election integrity. Critics, including election-law scholars, argue that the federal legal theory is weak and that states ordinarily administer and certify their own elections. The lawsuit is a request for judicial action, not a court ruling, and no election result has yet been certified or invalidated.
Sources: U.S. Department of Justice complaint, filed October 22, 2026; Associated Press reporting, October 23; Reuters reporting, October 23.
Featured-image credit: Joshua Woroniecki / Unsplash, used under the Unsplash License. Illustrative stock image of a U.S. ballot, not a photograph of the 2026 Alaska election or its candidates.
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