Justice Department sues to halt Alaska Senate race certification over duplicate candidate name
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The Justice Department filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent Alaska from certifying its Senate election results, arguing that a second candidate named Dan Sullivan could confuse voters.
The Justice Department filed a federal lawsuit on Thursday asking a judge to stop Alaska from certifying the Senate race if incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan loses. The filing contends that the presence of another candidate named Dan J. Sullivan on the ballot could mislead voters and undermine the integrity of the election.
Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. said the second Sullivan’s candidacy could “confuse or mislead voters looking to cast a vote for Senator Sullivan and thus distort the will of Alaskan voters,” and that certification of the results could reflect a process lacking integrity.
President Donald Trump has called the second Sullivan’s candidacy a “scam” and indicated the administration is exploring “powerful legal options” to prevent him from running.
The second Sullivan, a former Alaska Independence Party member who registered as a Republican earlier this year and works for the U.S. Forest Service, denied the allegations, telling the Petersburg Pilot that he “wouldn't even know who to speak to” in Mary Peltola’s campaign. In an interview with Courthouse News, he expressed hope that voters understand who they are voting for.
If the court grants the request, certification would be delayed pending an investigation into whether voter confusion occurred and what steps would be needed to address any impact on the election outcome.