The Trump administration is pursuing a criminal investigation into a U.S. Senate race in Alaska and preparing a potential Supreme Court challenge over mail-in ballots in California as the midterm campaign enters its final days. In Alaska, federal prosecutors are examining whether aides to Democratic candidate Mary Peltola recruited a retired teacher with a name similar to Republican incumbent Senator Dan S. Sullivan to enter the race. In California, the Justice Department is seeking to set aside more than 20,000 ballots it alleges were cast by registered voters who are likely noncitizens.
Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter stated on Saturday, October 31, that the administration will likely ask the Supreme Court to intervene in the California case before Tuesday's election. This follows a 2-1 ruling by a federal appeals court that the Justice Department had not justified an emergency bid to isolate those ballots. Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) sent a letter to federal judges warning that the Justice Department might seek warrants to seize ballots before results are certified, an action he said would be for the purpose of interference.
In Alaska, U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman reported a "surge" of FBI resources and several prosecutors assigned to the investigation involving candidate Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. The Peltola campaign and the retired teacher have both denied any coordination or involvement in a recruitment effort. In a separate Senate race in Michigan, the campaign of Democrat Abdul El-Sayed asked U.S. Representative Haley Stevens (D-MI) to avoid his events until Election Day following a disagreement over campaign advertisements and rhetoric concerning Israel.
For voters in Alaska, the investigation involves a candidate name similar to the incumbent, though some residents reported the distinction on the ballot remains clear. In California, more than 20,000 registered voters could see their mail-in ballots set aside or challenged depending on the outcome of a potential Supreme Court filing. Additionally, the administration has sued approximately 30 states and the District of Columbia seeking unredacted voter rolls, a shift that state officials say challenges their constitutional authority to manage elections.
Legal proceedings and campaign activities are scheduled to continue through Tuesday, November 3, 2026. President Trump is scheduled to return to the campaign trail on Sunday, November 1, with stops in Kansas and Iowa. While legal maneuvers continue, a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted between September 30 and October 5 found that 76% of voters across both major parties remain confident that their ballots will be accurately counted. The final results of the 35 Senate races and 435 House seats will determine the legislative environment for the remaining two years of the current presidential term.