Trump decries Alaska Senate ballot dispute, calling duplicate name 'outright cheating'

US President Donald Trump on Sunday denounced the inclusion of an independent candidate named Daniel Sullivan on Alaska's general election ballot, calling the arrangement a deliberate effort to mislead voters in the race involving incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan.

"The Democrats have put another guy named Dan Sullivan, in this case Daniel Sullivan, on the ballot, and that's very unfair. That's just outright cheating," Trump told reporters, adding that legal teams are challenging the ballot structure because voters are "totally confused."

Trump argued that election authorities should permit the listing of "Senator Dan Sullivan" rather than the standard incumbent label, asserting that many voters do not understand the terminology.

He also criticized the state's electoral system, describing ranked-choice voting as "crooked as can be" while maintaining that Sullivan would easily win without the name dispute.

A lawsuit was filed by the US Justice Department seeking to block state certification of the Senate results if the incumbent loses.

Speaking to CNN, US Attorney General Todd Blanche rejected claims that the lawsuit seeks to overturn the election outcome. Blanche explained that the legal filing serves as a preemptive measure to preserve ballots and enable a judicial review if widespread voter confusion emerges.

The legal challenge alleges that Dan J. Sullivan entered the contest with the intention of misleading supporters of the sitting lawmaker. Trump said that the other person named Sullivan had never been involved in elections and may not even have voted before, calling the move illegal as "it's unfair."

Republicans and Democrats will compete for Senate control in the Nov. 3 midterm elections, with Alaska representing a key state that Trump carried by a double-digit margin in the 2024 presidential election.