Trump Orders DOJ to Sue Over Alaska Senate Race Because Two Candidates Are Named Sullivan

The Trump administration is suing to keep Alaska's Senate election from being certified if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses to Democrat Mary Peltola because voters mixed him up with another man named Dan Sullivan who is also on the ballot.

The Justice Department filed the complaint Friday. Asked about it the same day, President Trump told reporters: "Well, I'm the one that said, 'do it.'" Attorney General Todd Blanche said on X on Saturday that the department "does not seek to stop any ballot from being cast or to stop the certification of Alaska's election." He said the suit is meant to make sure ballots are preserved so that only Alaska's governing officials have the information needed to decide whether voters were confused or misled.

Alaskans will choose their senator in a ranked-choice contest with four candidates: Sen. Sullivan, Peltola, Gerald Heikes and a teacher named Daniel J. Sullivan. A sample ballot filed in court lists Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. first, with no party affiliation. The incumbent follows as "Sullivan, Dan S. (Registered Republican) Incumbent."

The government argues that Daniel J. Sullivan deliberately ran under the same name as the incumbent to confuse voters and that Peltola stands to benefit. In its filing, the department said some of the teacher's supporters "likely will inadvertently vote for Daniel J. Sullivan." It also said the senator's own backers "likely will be confused as to how to rank the three Republican candidates as to defeat Peltola" and might not rank him at all. The department says the candidacy violates the National Voter Registration Act. If the senator loses but would have won had the other Sullivan's votes been counted for him, the department would ask for an investigation, according to its complaint.

Alaska's courts have already dealt with the question. The state Division of Elections ruled that Daniel J. Sullivan was ineligible because he was allegedly trying to cause voter confusion. The state courts reversed that decision, and in June the Alaska Supreme Court upheld the lower court and let him stay on the ballot. His lawyers argued that state law gives officials no power to exclude a qualified candidate over his private motivations.

Trump has attacked the situation publicly. In a Truth Social post Wednesday he called the two Sullivans on the ballot "totally confusing" and "CHEATING," wrote "It's ridiculous that the Court didn't stop this SCAM," and said his administration was looking at "powerful legal options to remove the fraudulent Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. from the Ballot."

Peltola's campaign called the lawsuit "a despicable political threat to overturn an election." Spokesperson Harry Child said in a statement to CBS News: "We will fight to ensure every single eligible voter in Alaska can make their voice heard and that no bureaucrat or politician from the Lower 48 can interfere with our lawful, secure elections."

The suit also drew criticism from inside Sullivan's own party. Alaska's other senator, Republican Lisa Murkowski, a frequent Trump critic, wrote on X that the department "should never have filed this lawsuit." She added: "Alaskans don't need any help voting for their preferred candidates, and the State of Alaska has already handled this by clearly distinguishing the candidates on this year's ballot."

The case adds to a growing set of federal election disputes ahead of the November midterms, with the Justice Department also pressing California counties over suspected noncitizen voters. Ballots in Alaska are being cast now, and the outcome of the dispute could shape how the state's result is handled after the votes are counted.