Judge dismisses Trump lawsuit over Alaska Senate election certification

A judge has dismissed a lawsuit backed by Donald Trump that sought to block the certification of Alaska's United States Senate race if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses, according to the Guardian, NPR, MS NOW, and the San Francisco Chronicle. Donald Trump stated on 23 October that he ordered the Department of Justice to file the legal challenge. Voting rights experts described the filing as an unprecedented intervention by the federal government, the Guardian reported. [1][9][10][11]

The Justice Department filed its lawsuit less than two weeks before election day, arguing that the presence of candidates on the ballot could cause voter confusion, according to the Guardian. As FTMQ News reported earlier, the federal lawsuit aimed to halt certification if the Republican incumbent lost, following the placement of two candidates named Dan Sullivan alongside Democratic challenger Mary Peltola on the Alaska ballot. [1][16]

Incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan committed to accepting the election outcome regardless of whether he wins or loses against Peltola, the Washington Post, the Washington Examiner, and CNN reported. Speaking on CNN's State of the Union on Sunday, Sullivan stated that he will accept the election results, according to the Washington Examiner. [2][3][4][6]

The legal action comes amid broader controversy surrounding the Alaska race. NBC News reported that Alaska officials asked a judge to deny what they termed an impossible demand by the Trump administration to set aside Senate ballots. Meanwhile, the BBC reported that an Alaska Senate candidate denied knowing about an alleged plot to put two candidates named Dan Sullivan on the ballot. [7][8]

Daniel Scott Sullivan is a Marine Corps veteran and member of the Republican Party who has served as the junior United States senator from Alaska since 2015. He previously served as commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources from 2010 to 2013 and as Alaska Attorney General from 2009 to 2010. [12]