The Justice Department’s Alaska Senate lawsuit drew sharply different assessments Sunday: Todd Blanche said it was confined to a ballot dispute, while Sen. Adam Schiff warned the department’s involvement could signal challenges to election results after voting.
Speaking on CNN’s State of the Union, Blanche said the administration was not preparing to overturn an election result unfavorable to Trump and described the case as confined to Alaska. “President Trump is not trying to take over a state election in any way, shape, or form,” he said. Blanche added that the complaint would let election officials assess whether voter confusion amounted to a legal violation.
The lawsuit’s conditional request would pause certification only if Sen. Dan S. Sullivan loses and counting votes cast for challenger Dan J. Sullivan Jr. as votes for the incumbent would make the senator the winner under Alaska’s ranked-choice rules.
Blanche said the candidates’ similar names could confuse voters and accused Dan J. Sullivan Jr. of entering the race to create that confusion. The complaint alleges the candidacy could help Democratic candidate Mary Peltola by drawing votes from the incumbent; a court has not established those allegations. Dan J. Sullivan Jr. has denied in interviews with U.S. news outlets that he intends to confuse voters or divert support from the senator.
Trump has said he directed the Justice Department to bring the case. Blanche declined to say whether Trump ordered him to file it.
California Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff said on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday that the Justice Department’s willingness to join the case indicated how far it might go after the election in trying to challenge results. Reuters reported that election officials in the country were preparing for the possibility that the federal government could intervene during the Nov. 3 midterms. Officials told the news agency that legal challenges and voting disputes could interrupt certification; the contests will determine control of Congress. Alaska’s Senate election is scheduled for Nov. 3.
