DOJ sues to block Alaska Senate certification if GOP Sen. Sullivan loses

The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against Alaska election officials seeking to block certification of the November U.S. Senate election results if Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan loses, NBC News reported. The suit argues that the presence of two candidates named Dan Sullivan on the ballot could mislead voters and affect the election outcome.

According to ABC News, President Donald Trump directed the Justice Department to preemptively file the lawsuit, citing concerns about voter confusion between Sen. Dan S. Sullivan and another candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan, who has no party affiliation. Trump claimed the second candidate's campaign was a tactic to confuse voters and draw votes away from the incumbent.

CBS News detailed that the lawsuit contends Daniel J. Sullivan's candidacy threatens to mislead voters who intend to support Sen. Sullivan, potentially diverting votes and benefiting the Democratic candidate Mary Peltola. The DOJ argues that if Sen. Sullivan loses due to this confusion, the election results should not be certified.

The Alaska Supreme Court previously rejected a legal challenge to Daniel J. Sullivan's candidacy, ordering his inclusion on the ballot. Peltola's campaign condemned the DOJ's lawsuit as a political attempt to overturn the election and pledged to defend the integrity of Alaska's voting process.

The ballot lists Daniel J. Sullivan as "Sullivan, Daniel J. Jr." with no party affiliation, and Sen. Sullivan as "Sullivan, Dan S. (Registered Republican) Incumbent," which the DOJ says could confuse voters about how to rank candidates in the ranked-choice voting system.

The lawsuit and related political dispute highlight tensions around the upcoming Alaska Senate race and concerns about election integrity amid closely contested midterm elections.