Judge Blocks Trump Administration's Fight Against Possible Voter Deception in Alaska Senate Race
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A federal judge dismissed a Trump administration lawsuit aimed at protecting Alaska voters from confusion in a Senate race featuring two Dan Sullivans, even as the Justice Department said the issue remains serious and will be appealed.
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration that sought to delay the certification of results in Alaska's Senate race, which features two candidates named Dan Sullivan. The lawsuit, brought by the U.S. Department of Justice, said the presence of both Republican incumbent Dan S. Sullivan and independent candidate Daniel J. Sullivan on the ballot could confuse voters and weaken support for the incumbent.
In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason said the federal government lacks the authority to compel Alaska to segregate and investigate ballots in the three-way race, which also includes Democrat Mary Peltola. She emphasized the importance of voter secrecy and said the Justice Department's proposed steps would be impractical this close to the election, since many voters had already cast ballots through early and postal voting.
Following the ruling, the Justice Department announced plans to appeal, saying the court dismissed the case on procedural grounds but did not dispute its claim that Daniel J. Sullivan entered the race as a frivolous candidate intended to confuse voters. President Donald Trump, who directed the Justice Department to file the lawsuit, said the situation was unusual and referred to Daniel J. Sullivan as a 'fake' candidate.
The race is seen as one of the most competitive in the upcoming midterm elections, which will decide control of Congress for the final two years of Trump's presidency. Peltola's campaign has come under scrutiny amid allegations that Democratic operatives tried to recruit spoiler candidates, though she has denied any involvement in such efforts.