In brief
The Trump administration has filed a federal suit to prevent Alaska from certifying the results of the Senate election should incumbent Dan Sullivan lose to Democrat Mary Peltola. The Justice Department argues that the name duplication could mislead voters and undermine the election’s integrity. It requests courts to hold certification pending an investigation into whether voters were confused by the presence of a second Dan Sullivan, a retired teacher who is also registered as a Republican. Both candidates have declined to comment. The move comes amid a closely watched midterm race that Trump won in 2024 by 14 points.
The Trump administration has taken a bold legal step by filing a federal lawsuit aimed at preventing the state of Alaska from certifying the results of its upcoming Senate election if incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan loses. The core of the complaint rests on a simple, yet potentially confusing, issue: another candidate named Dan Sullivan—this time a retired teacher who has also registered as a Republican—appears on the same ballot.
According to the Justice Department, voters could easily mistake the teacher for the incumbent senator, especially in a close race that polls show Mary Peltola ahead by a slim margin heading into the November 3 vote. The DOJ’s filing asks a federal judge to bar the state from certifying any results that include the contested name should Sullivan’s margin of loss be less than the difference between the two candidates.
"I'm the one that said do it," President Donald Trump told reporters in Florida on Friday, underscoring his support for the lawsuit. He has labelled the second “Dan Sullivan” a “scam” and vowed that the administration had “powerful legal options” to stop the candidacy. The teacher, citing no ulterior motives, repeatedly denied that his run was meant to split Sullivan’s vote or benefit Peltola.
Alaska’s use of ranked‑choice voting means that voters who are uncertain may select both Sullivans, further complicating the matter. The DOJ claims that any election where the teacher’s name taints the ballot fails to protect the integrity of Alaska’s electoral process. The federal suit also notes that the Alaska Supreme Court had previously rejected efforts to remove the educator from the ballot.
Should Peltola win and a significant percentage of voters be found to have voted for the wrong Sullivan, the lawsuit would require the state to delay certification while an investigation determines the impact of the duplicate name. No party involved has made a statement on the lawsuit yet. The Senate race, which Trump won by 14 percentage points in 2024, is one of the most scrutinised contests in the 2026 midterms, with Alaska’s electorate currently grappling with rising costs and international tensions.
Image caption: Senator Dan Sullivan faces Democratic challenger Mary Peltola in a tight race.
