NewzThe Trump administration has filed a lawsuit to block certification of the Senate race in Alaska if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses the contest while another candidate with the same name is on the ballot, kicking off what many have feared could become a lengthy battle between the U.S. government and states over certifying an election where the president's party is struggling.Many in both parties believe the fight over control of the Senate could come down to Alaska, where Sullivan faces Democrat Mary Peltola, a former congresswoman.
Also on the Alaska ballot is a Daniel J. Sullivan from the tiny fishing community of Petersburg. He has said he decided to run on his own, but Republicans have contended he is a Democratic plant to siphon votes away from their candidate.The lawsuit Thursday by Republican President Donald Trump's Department of Justice in federal court in Alaska demands that the state be blocked from certifying a Peltola win if Daniel J.
“The United States accordingly brings this lawsuit to protect the integrity of the 2026 Senate election in Alaska,” the lawsuit says, contending that federal law requires states to protect the integrity of federal elections.The Alaska Supreme Court rejected a previous Republican effort to remove Daniel J. Sullivan from the ballot, and the state's Republican officials made the decisions about how to list him on the ballot. He will appear without a party designation next to his name, while the senator will be listed as the Republican incumbent.
Alaska's ranked choice voting system also will allow voters to select both of the men if confused.The senator's campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment nor did Daniel J. Sullivan, whose presence on the ballot is at issue in the lawsuit.The Department of Justice has increasingly been used to bolster the president's political operation, targeting his enemies and suing Democratic-controlled states before the election. Democrats and many voting rights advocates have long feared that the administration will try to block certification of elections that Trump's party loses, much as he unsuccessfully tried to do when he lost the White House race to Democrat Joe Biden.U.S.
Attorney General Todd Blanche said that was unlikely outside of extreme circumstances. “It is not DOJ’s intention to, and it’s never our intention to, improperly interf… government and states over certifying an election where President Donald Trump's party is struggling.Two former FBI intelligence officials who specialized in foreign election interference were charged Friday with making false statements about their roles in investigating the origins of Hunter Biden’s laptop.
It's the latest in a series of splashy and politically charged investigative actions the Justice Department has undertaken in the run-up to the midterm elections.First lady Melania Trump has brokered an upcoming ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the war-ravaged city of Oleshky to allow for humanitarian aid and the evacuation of civilians, the White House announced on Friday. There was no immediate comment from the Ukrainian or the Russian governments. The localized ceasefire in the Russian-occupied city along Ukraine’s southeastern front is set to begin Oct.
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