President Donald Trump said Friday, Oct. 23, that he directed the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to sue Alaska over its Nov. 3 Senate election, with the filing seeking a conditional pause in certification.
The department filed its complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska on Oct. 22. Asked about the case, Trump said, “I’m the one that said do it.”
DOJ asks the court to halt certification only if Sen. Dan S. Sullivan loses and counting votes cast for candidate Daniel J. Sullivan as votes for the incumbent would make the senator the winner under Alaska’s ranked-choice rules. It also seeks an inquiry into whether voters who selected Daniel J. Sullivan intended to vote for Sen. Sullivan.
The complaint alleges Daniel J. Sullivan’s candidacy was intended to confuse voters and benefit Democratic candidate Mary Peltola by drawing support away from the incumbent. A court has not established those claims.
Alaska’s candidate list identifies Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. as a certified candidate registered Republican. The complaint says state officials had sought to remove him from the ballot, but state courts overturned that decision.
Alaska voters rank candidates by preference, and preferences can transfer as candidates are eliminated. DOJ’s requested calculation would apply that process after the proposed reassignment of Daniel J. Sullivan’s votes.
The DOJ complaint lists primary shares of 49.5% for Peltola, 41.4% for Sen. Sullivan and 2.5% for Daniel J. Sullivan. It gives the primary date as Aug. 28, while Alaska’s official election page lists Aug. 18.
Before the lawsuit was filed, Attorney General Todd Blanche said, “It is not DOJ’s intention to, and it’s never our intention to, improperly interfere with elections or the state certification process.” He declined to rule out every circumstance in which the department might intervene.
At a Friday forum in Anchorage, Peltola called the suit “just flagrant, flagrant corruption in my opinion” and described it as a diversion from affordability, The Associated Press reported. Alaska’s general election is scheduled for Nov. 3.
