U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche defended a Justice Department lawsuit on Sunday, October 25, 2026, regarding the certification of Alaska’s U.S. Senate election. The lawsuit, filed Thursday, October 22, asks a federal court to block the state from certifying results if incumbent Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan loses by a margin smaller than the number of votes received by another candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. The Justice Department alleges the presence of two candidates with similar names on the ballot could lead to voter confusion.
The litigation follows a dispute over the candidacy of Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired teacher. Alaska election officials initially removed him from the ballot, concluding his run was intended to mislead voters. However, the Alaska Supreme Court restored him to the ballot in June. State officials have since differentiated the two men on the ballot by listing the senator as "Dan S. Sullivan," a "Registered Republican" and "incumbent," while listing the other candidate as "Daniel J. Sullivan Jr."
In interviews on CNN and CBS on Sunday, October 25, Blanche stated the lawsuit is intended to ensure ballots are preserved so officials can determine if voter intent was compromised. While Blanche declined to detail his private communications with the president, Donald Trump told reporters on Friday, October 23, that he ordered the Justice Department to file the case. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and several Democratic leaders have criticized the move, with Murkowski stating that the state has already taken sufficient steps to distinguish the candidates.
The scale of the impact is underscored by the narrow margins in recent Alaska elections. During the August primary, Sen. Sullivan received more than 68,000 votes compared to 4,107 for Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. Under Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system, if no candidate receives more than 50% of the first-choice votes, the lowest-performing candidates are eliminated and their votes redistributed. A delay in certification would prevent the state from finalizing this process, affecting not only the two Sullivans but also Democrat Mary Peltola and candidate Gerald Heikes.
Legal experts, including professors from Florida State University and Capital University Law School, have questioned the merit of the suit, noting that no specific federal statute clearly authorizes the federal government to block state certification under these circumstances. A motion to dismiss the lawsuit has been filed on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Alaska and Common Cause, who argue the case is an attempt to interfere with state-run elections. The federal court in Alaska is expected to review these filings as the November 3 election approaches.