DOJ sues Alaska to block Senate certification over candidate-name confusion
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The Justice Department filed a lawsuit in Anchorage to stop Alaska from certifying its Senate race, claiming confusion between two candidates named Dan Sullivan. Critics said the move looks like partisan interference in an election that should be decided by voters, not by the government.
The U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit in federal court in Anchorage on Thursday aiming to prevent Alaska from certifying its U.S. Senate election results if incumbent Senator Dan S. Sullivan loses. The suit claims that the presence of another candidate, Dan J. Sullivan Jr., could confuse voters because the two names are nearly identical. The department is asking a judge to block certification while it investigates whether votes cast for the challenger were actually meant for the incumbent.
President Donald Trump said he directed the administration to pursue the action, stating, "I'm the one that said do it." A Justice Department spokesperson cast the filing as a step to protect the integrity of Alaska’s election and the will of its voters, even as the move raises obvious concerns about using federal power to meddle in a state election.
Alaska’s other senator, Lisa Murkowski, criticized the move, saying the Justice Department should not have filed the lawsuit. Election law experts said the case lacks legal merit and that the department has no authority to dictate how Alaska certifies its election results, underscoring how extraordinary and overreaching the filing appears.
The lawsuit comes as the Alaska Senate race between Senator Dan S. Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola remains close, and control of the U.S. Senate could hinge on the outcome. Peltola said the ballot layout leaves little room for confusion, while the challenger, Dan J. Sullivan, denied any intent to mislead voters.