Overview:
The Trump administration is suing to block certification of Alaska’s U.S. Senate election results, arguing that the candidacy of Republican challenger Dan J. Sullivan could confuse voters in a race between two candidates with the same last name.
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In a lawsuit filed Thursday, Oct. 22, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) sued to block the certification of Alaska’s Senate election results in United States v. State of Alaska, Case No. 3:26-cv.
The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason, an Obama appointee and the senior of the two judges on the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska.
In June, the Alaska Division of Elections announced that Dan J. Sullivan of Petersburg was ineligible as a candidate for U.S. Senate and would be removed from the ballot. In its final decision, officials said his filing was “for the purpose of confusing or misleading voters.”
After a successful appeal, Dan J. Sullivan was allowed on the state’s August primary ballot, where he received 2.5% of the total vote, finishing third in the race.
The candidacy of Dan J. Sullivan has drawn criticism from the senator’s campaign and Republican allies, who argue that voters could mistakenly cast ballots for the wrong candidate because of their shared name. Some Republicans have suggested that the challenger’s campaign is intended to siphon votes away from the incumbent.
The senator’s campaign blames Democrat Mary Peltola (Yup’ik), who is running for the seat held by Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, her campaign or the Alaska Democratic Party for Dan J. Sullivan entering the race.
However, both the Alaska Democratic Party and former U.S. Representative Mary Peltola’s political allies have denied any involvement. No public evidence has been presented linking Democratic groups to the candidacy.
To reduce confusion, Alaska election officials plan to distinguish the candidates on the ballot by using their middle initials. The incumbent will appear as Dan S. Sullivan, while the challenger will be listed as Dan J. Sullivan.
The issue is particularly significant because Alaska uses a top-four nonpartisan primary system followed by ranked-choice voting in the general election. Political observers note that even a small number of mistaken votes could influence the outcome of a closely contested race.
Adding another layer to the confusion is the existence of former Anchorage Mayor Dan A. Sullivan, a well-known Alaska political figure who is not running for office this year.
The August primary results showed Peltola finishing first with 49.5% of the vote, followed by Dan S. Sullivan with 41.4% and Dan J. Sullivan with 2.5%. The fourth-place finisher, Democratic candidate David Leslie, withdrew from the election, an action that promoted Heikes into the final four with 1.1% of the vote.
The primary results have not been contested.
Alaskans for Mary spokesperson Harry Child issued the following statement regarding the lawsuit:
“This is a despicable political threat to overturn an election, designed by Senator Dan Sullivan’s allies to suppress the voices of Alaskans because Sullivan is terrified he’ll lose the seat that has allowed him to enrich himself at Alaskans’ expense for over a decade. We will fight to ensure every single eligible voter in Alaska can make their voice heard and that no bureaucrat or politician from the Lower 48 can interfere with our lawful, secure elections.”
There are only 11 days until Election Day. Peltola has a two-point lead in a number of polls. Early voting has started in Alaska, 15 days before Election Day.
