The Trump administration filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent Alaska from certifying its US Senate election results under certain circumstances involving the candidacy of a second candidate named Dan J. Sullivan, according to the lawsuit.
The complaint, filed on Thursday in the US District Court for the District of Alaska, names the state and several election authorities as defendants and seeks declaratory and injunctive relief statewide.
The legal action could have implications for the state's closely watched Senate race, in which incumbent Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan is seeking reelection against Democrat Mary Peltola.
According to allegations in the lawsuit, Dan J. Sullivan entered the race "with the intention of misleading" supporters of the incumbent and creating voter confusion because of their similar names.
The filing argues that certifying results affected by the second candidate's appearance on the ballot would undermine the state's responsibility to protect election integrity.
"Should Alaska certify any electoral results tainted by the inclusion on the ballot of Daniel J. Sullivan … the State and its officers will fail in its obligation to protect the integrity of its election," the complaint stated.
The Justice Department's filing comes as both parties compete for control of the Senate in the November midterm elections. Alaska is generally considered a Republican-leaning state, and President Donald Trump won it by a double-digit margin in the 2024 presidential election.
Asked about the Alaska election lawsuit, President Donald Trump said: "I'm the one that said 'do it'."
"They have two guys run named Dan Sullivan. So the Democrats put up a guy ... I don't think he ever voted before. All of a sudden he decides to run for the Senate, and his name is Dan Sullivan. One is Daniel S., one is Daniel J..The Daniel J. is the fake," Trump said.
He said Daniel J. has "nothing to do with politics. It's a disgrace."
Later, addressing a rally in the state of Florida, Trump accused Democrats of trying to confuse voters in Alaska's Senate race by fielding a candidate with the same name as incumbent Sen. Sullivan.
"We have a man named Dan Sullivan. So the Democrats, maybe here they're not so dumb. They put another man also with the name of Dan Sullivan. So we have two Dan Sullivans. How about that?" Trump told his supporters.
The president argued that the presence of two candidates with similar names could create confusion among voters ahead of the November midterm elections.
"That's not so dumb, actually. It's cheating like hell, but it's not the dumbest thing in the world, and it's very confusing to people, to put it mildly," Trump said.
