Judge Dismisses Trump-Backed Lawsuit to Block Alaska Senate Results
A federal judge threw out the Trump-ordered lawsuit aimed at stopping certification of Alaska’s Senate race if incumbent Dan Sullivan loses.
Incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan announced he will accept the results of his upcoming Alaska Senate race, even as a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit backed by former President Donald Trump that sought to block certification if the Republican loses.
Trump told reporters on 23 October that he had directed the Justice Department to file the suit, an action voting‑rights experts described as an “unprecedented intervention” by the federal government with control of Congress at stake.
The Justice Department’s filing, submitted less than two weeks before Election Day, argued that the presence of two candidates named Dan Sullivan on the November ballot could cause “voter confusion” and potentially divert votes from the incumbent, benefiting Democratic nominee Mary Peltola.
In a Sunday morning interview with CNN, Sullivan said, “No, I’m going to accept the election results,” when asked if he would only accept them if he won.
He added that he is not focused on legal challenges to Peltola’s campaign, but on winning the race outright, while expressing doubt that Peltola was unaware of the effort to place a second Dan Sullivan on the ballot.
“She’s continually lying to the Alaskan people,” Sullivan told host Jake Tapper, adding, “And I guarantee you, she’s lying right now.”
A recent New York Times investigation reported that aides from Peltola’s campaign recruited another man sharing Sullivan’s name to run, allegedly to siphon votes from the Republican incumbent.
Since those revelations, Republicans—including Trump—have called for Peltola to be disqualified and criminally prosecuted. Peltola has denied any knowledge of such a scheme, telling a reporter at a campaign event that she had “no idea” if any of her staff were involved.
The Washington Post reported that Republicans also tried to boost unviable Democratic candidates in the Alaska primaries, with a Republican Super PAC supporting two out‑of‑state Senate hopefuls labeled “progressives” akin to Bernie Sanders.
With the lawsuit now dismissed, the Alaska Senate race will proceed to certification, and the final outcome will be decided by voters.
