Trump administration sues to halt Alaska Senate certification

A $100 filing fee allows anyone to appear on Alaska's primary ballot, a threshold that has placed a retired school teacher named Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. in the same race as Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. The Trump administration is now suing to pause the certification of the state's Senate result, seeking to determine if voters were confused by the identical names.

The race features four candidates on the final ballot: Sen. Sullivan, Democrat Mary Peltola, and two challengers who have limited campaign activity. Peltola, the state's former House member, announced her Senate run in January 2026. Republicans have long suspected the second Sullivan is a Democratic plant designed to split votes in the state's ranked-choice voting system.

The legal action followed reports from The New York Times that internal texts showed the Peltola campaign recruited the second Sullivan. The report indicated that a Democratic strategist based outside Alaska was paid by a political organization backing Peltola to execute the strategy. The effort reportedly dates back to 2025.

Peltola and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee have denied involvement in the scheme. In response to the reports, President Donald Trump called for the Democrat's prosecution. His Justice Department issued a series of subpoenas as part of a criminal investigation into the matter.

Critics argue the administration is using the Justice Department as a political tool. Justin Levitt, a law professor at Loyola Marymount University and a former Biden administration Justice official, noted that recruiting spoiler candidates is a common practice. "It may be distasteful, but it happens all the time," Levitt said. "There is no behavior that has been disclosed that is in violation of federal law."

The administration has defended its timing, stating in a Wednesday release that it is "following the facts and the law, not anyone's political timetable." This approach contrasts with historical Justice Department practices that avoid overt investigative actions within 60 days of an election. Recent weeks have seen a surge in politically sensitive moves, including the search of Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar's home.

Jason Torchinsky, a veteran Republican campaign finance attorney, said the reports point to potential crimes regarding the financing of the second Sullivan's run. He argued that Alaska's voting system is particularly vulnerable to manipulation because the top four finishers advance to the general election without requiring party nominations or tens of thousands of signatures.

Defenders of the system, which Republicans are attempting to repeal via a ballot measure, contend it is harder to manipulate. They note that voters can rank both Sullivans above Peltola. Sen. Sullivan's campaign is urging Alaskans to do exactly that.

The use of same-name candidates has legal precedents. In Florida in 2020, a Republican former state senator, Frank Artiles, was convicted of falsifying a candidate form to help a second Alex Rodriguez run against Democrat Jose Javier Rodriguez. The independent Rodriguez won 6,382 votes, and the Democrat lost his seat by 32 votes. Artiles was sentenced to 60 days in jail.

David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, expects a judge to reject the Justice Department's lawsuit soon. He described the suit as "frivolous" if Sen. Sullivan does not win the election. The Justice Department's investigation continues as the state prepares to count the votes.

Image_prompt description: A close-up, high-contrast photograph of a paper ballot resting on a wooden table. The ballot shows a list of names with checkboxes, one of which is marked with a black ink check. The lighting is cool and clinical, typical of a voting station. The background is blurred, showing the edge of a privacy screen and a stack of blank ballots. No people are visible. The mood is quiet and administrative.