Justice Department seeks conditional block on Alaska Senate certification

The Justice Department has sued Alaska election officials, seeking to prevent certification of the state’s U.S. Senate election under specific circumstances if Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan loses.

The federal complaint argues that another candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., could confuse voters intending to support the senator, whose full name is Daniel S. Sullivan. It asks a judge to block certification if the incumbent loses but would have won had votes cast for Daniel J. Sullivan been counted for him and processed through Alaska’s ranked-choice system. The department is seeking an investigation into voter intent before certification in that scenario.

The lawsuit alleges that Daniel J. Sullivan entered the race to draw support away from the incumbent and benefit Democratic nominee Mary Peltola. Alaska courts previously allowed Daniel J. Sullivan to remain on the ballot. No federal court has ruled on the Justice Department’s request.

President Donald Trump said Friday that he directed the lawsuit to be filed, calling the second Sullivan’s candidacy a “disgrace.” Peltola described the case as an effort to keep the incumbent in power. Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski said the Justice Department should not have brought the suit, according to The Rio Times.

Alaska’s Division of Elections said it was reviewing the complaint while continuing to administer the election and provide voters with information intended to reduce confusion. The race will be decided through ranked-choice voting, in which lower-performing candidates are eliminated and their voters’ subsequent choices are redistributed until a winner emerges.