The Justice Department has launched legal proceedings against Alaska election authorities, requesting that the results of November’s U.S. Senate race not be certified if incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses under certain circumstances. President Donald Trump has publicly acknowledged directing the administration to pursue the contentious legal action.
In documents submitted to federal court, Justice Department attorneys argued that the inclusion of Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. on the ballot could cause confusion among voters intending to support the incumbent senator, Daniel S. Sullivan.
“For example, some supporters of Senator Sullivan likely will inadvertently vote for Daniel J. Sullivan,” the court filing states.
“To guard against this danger, it is vital that Defendants not certify any election result that may be impacted by voter confusion,” the lawsuit adds.
The Trump administration is asking a federal judge to prevent certification of the election outcome “if: (1) Senator Sullivan does not win the election; and (2) had all votes cast for Daniel J. Sullivan been cast instead for Senator Sullivan and Alaska’s rank-choice process played out accordingly, Senator Sullivan would have won the election.”
Speaking with journalists Friday, Trump confirmed that he had personally instructed officials to initiate the lawsuit.
“I’m the one that said do it,” Trump declared, describing Sullivan Jr.’s participation in the election as “a disgrace.”
Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward stated in the filing that the Justice Department had initiated the proceedings “to protect the integrity of the 2026 Senate election in Alaska.”
Mary Peltola, the Democratic candidate competing for the Senate seat, strongly criticized the lawsuit in a post on X. “This is the corruption AK is fed up with,” she wrote, accusing Sullivan of “using his DC allies to try to keep himself in power and put his own interests ahead of Alaskans.”
Neither Sullivan’s Senate office nor his campaign immediately provided a response to requests for comment. The campaign was also asked to address Peltola’s public criticism of the lawsuit.
Alaska’s Division of Elections acknowledged the legal complaint in a statement and said it was examining the allegations while remaining “focused on running the ongoing election and giving voter’s confidence that their votes will count.”
“This also includes assisting voters and avoiding voter confusion — whether through the information in the Official Election Pamphlet, asking questions of a poll worker, or bringing others to assist you with voting as permitted by law,” the agency explained.
The administration submitted its lawsuit Thursday, coinciding with remarks from Attorney General Todd Blanche, who told reporters that “it is not DOJ’s intention to, and it’s never our intention to, improperly interfere with elections or the state confirmation process or certification process.”
“I’m not trying to not have an election certified. Of course not,” Blanche said. Nevertheless, he acknowledged that an extreme “doomsday” situation could potentially prompt Justice Department involvement.
The reasons behind the department’s decision to pursue legal intervention at this stage remain uncertain, particularly with Election Day fewer than two weeks away.
In the United States, responsibility for administering elections and formally certifying their outcomes rests with state and local election authorities.
Federal law places restrictions on the Justice Department’s involvement in electoral matters, primarily authorizing it to protect civil rights and prosecute individuals accused of violating election laws.
Although individual voters and political candidates may bring lawsuits disputing ballots or election outcomes, Justin Levitt, an NBC News contributor and former Justice Department official under the Obama administration, said no federal law authorizes the department itself to challenge ballots or postpone the certification of election results.