DOJ sues to freeze Alaska Senate results if Democrat Mary Peltola wins
The Justice Department filed a lawsuit to block certification of the election outcome, citing a dispute over two candidates named Dan Sullivan on the ballot.
By Fatou Mitchell ·
The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit on Wednesday to prevent the certification of Alaska’s Senate race if incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan loses.
Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that the federal government will intervene if the Democratic candidate, Mary Peltola, takes the seat. Blanche said on Fox News that the situation involving the ballot "certainly should be" illegal. He noted that an investigation is underway and that law enforcement is involved.
The legal move follows a report that Peltola’s campaign recruited a second candidate named Dan Sullivan to run on the ballot alongside the senator. The second candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan, is a retired teacher. Alaska Democrats denied wrongdoing in the recruitment process. The state Supreme Court declined to remove Daniel J. Sullivan from the ballot in June. The ballot identifies the senator as the Republican incumbent.
President Donald Trump seized on the story to shift the national conversation away from low approval ratings and high gasoline prices. He wrote on Truth Social that this represents voter fraud at the highest level. He called for Peltola to be removed from the ballot and prosecuted. Trump has previously claimed widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential election, a claim that supported his 2024 campaign.
Alaska election officials stated that there is no federal role in deciding who appears on the state ballot. Spokesperson Sam Curtis said that placing candidates on the ballot is a matter of state law. The state uses a ranked-choice voting system. Experts suggest this system will funnel votes intended for the senator to him regardless of the other candidate’s presence.
Election lawyer Ben Ginsberg told CNN that the Peltola campaign’s strategy is politically clumsy. He said there is no current evidence of illegality. He noted that both parties have historically used phantom candidates in elections. Ginsberg did not rule out a legal challenge to a Peltola victory when new senators are seated next year.
The race remains close. A New York Times and Siena poll conducted on Saturday showed Peltola leading Sullivan by 51 percent to 45 percent. Sullivan told Sean Hannity on Fox News that it is time for his opponent to come clean. He described her as corrupt and working with insiders to trick Alaskans. He said the campaign will ensure every voter knows about the issue.
The lawsuit creates a potential path to delay the result if Republicans lose their congressional majorities. The Constitution gives the president no role in administering state elections. The Justice Department’s filing signals an intensified legal battle ahead of the Tuesday election.
