Trump Unloads Legal Blow To Stop Alaska Senate Chaos
The Trump administration filed a federal lawsuit on Thursday to stop Alaska from certifying its Senate election results. This legal move comes after a retired teacher named Daniel J. Sullivan appeared on the ballot alongside the incumbent Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan. The Justice Department argues this name overlap confuses voters and could change who wins the seat.
The Justice Department acted on orders from President Donald Trump. He wrote on Truth Social that he is worried about the race. According to reports, the U.S. Senate race in Alaska known as the Sullivan Race is entirely confusing. He also called the situation a scam and said the court should have stopped it.
Claims that DOJ is trying to stop Alaska’s election are FALSE.
Alaska’s Division of Elections determined that Dan J. Sullivan’s candidacy was intended to mislead voters and meddle in the election for his favor.
Therefore, we are seeking to protect election integrity, consistent with the National Voter Registration Act (enacted by Congress) and ensure the will of Alaska voters is respected.
— DOJ Rapid Response (@DOJRR47) October 23, 2026
Alaska uses a ranked-choice voting system approved by voters in 2020. Under this system, all candidates run in one primary, and the top four advance to the general election. Voters then rank those four candidates to determine the winner. According to RedState, the state’s Division of Elections found that Daniel J. Sullivan’s candidacy was intended to mislead voters. The retired teacher registered as a Republican just before filing his papers.
The two candidates sit side by side on the ballot. One is labeled as the Republican incumbent, while the other has no party designation. The Justice Department lawsuit asks the court to pause the certification process. They want officials to examine how the name overlap affects the final count before locking in a result.
The left is screaming that Trump wants to overturn Alaska’s election. Here’s what they’re leaving out.
There are two Dan Sullivans on the same Senate ballot. One is the actual Republican senator. The other is a retired teacher who pulled 2.5% in the primary. Throw ranked-choice voting on top of that, and voters can pick the wrong guy without ever knowing it.
The DOJ is suing so Alaska can’t certify a result decided by name confusion. I call that making sure Alaskans get the senator they actually voted for.
Clear ballots. No name games. Kill ranked-choice voting.
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) October 23, 2026
Attorneys for Mary Peltola and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee filed a motion to drop the lawsuit. They argue the federal government is interfering with the democratic process. “This case directly threatens both Proposed Intervenors’ interests by demanding that defendants refuse to certify the election if, and only if, Peltola wins,” the filing said. Per NBC News, the motion called the lawsuit an unprecedented pre-emptive strike on democratic elections.
The lawsuit does not ask a judge to declare a winner right now. Instead, it asks for a halt if Dan S. Sullivan does not win by a clear margin. The Justice Department claims that if votes for the other Sullivan had gone to the Senator, he would have won. A DOJ Rapid Response statement said they seek to protect election integrity under the National Voter Registration Act.
🚨 BREAKING OVERNIGHT: President Trump is SUING Alaska over the fake Dan Sullivan on the Senate ballot, a candidate planted there by Dems to siphon votes from Sen. Dan Sullivan (R) and hand the seat to Mary Peltola (D)
The suit would BLOCK certification of any result where the second Sullivan’s votes could have flipped the race, until an investigation determines whether those voters actually meant to pick the senator
GOOD!! He should not even BE on the ballot.
DOJ says the candidacy’s “sole purpose” is to help Peltola. Republicans point to a Democrat consultant, Amber Lee, who has worked on his campaign
Even Alaska’s own elections office tried to kick him off the ballot in June.
The state courts put him back on one day before the ballots were printed.
This is obvious fraudulent election interference!
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 23, 2026
The legal battle now moves to a federal judge in Alaska. The court must decide whether to let the state certify the results or pause for further review. If the lawsuit succeeds, the certification process could be delayed significantly. This situation puts control of the Senate in the balance if the vote is close.
