Justice Department sues to block certification of Alaska's Senate result if Sen. Dan Sullivan loses
NBC News and the Guardian reported that the Justice Department on Thursday filed a pre-emptive lawsuit to stop Alaska election officials from certifying U.S. Senate results if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses next month. The Hill reported that the suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska. The Guardian reported that the department claims there could be confusion about two candidates named Dan Sullivan on the ballot. The New York Times called the filing highly unusual. CBS News reported that the department asks the court to block certification if Sullivan loses but would have won had the other Sullivan's votes been counted for him. The Hill reported that Trump said Friday he directed the department to file the suit. PBS NewsHour reported the move sparked concerns about a lengthy federal-state battle over certification.
Certification is the formal step that turns vote counts into an official winner, so a request to restrict it before any votes are counted is unusual, as the Times notes. Alaska is one of several races that CNBC says could decide Senate control.
If you live in Alaska, the suit concerns certification of results, not how votes are cast. If you follow Senate races, this is a legal track to watch in parallel with the polls, because a close result could end up in court after Election Day.
The department's argument, as reported by the Guardian and CBS News, is that a second candidate with the same name could confuse voters and taint the result, and that Sullivan would have won had the other Sullivan's votes been counted for him. On this view, a court should settle the question before certification.
Critics, as framed by PBS NewsHour and the Times, see an attempt to block a possible Democratic win and note the filing is highly unusual and could open a prolonged fight between the federal government and states over certification. On this view, the lawsuit pre-judges a result that has not happened.
Confirmed across outlets: the suit was filed Thursday, it is conditional on Sullivan losing, and Trump said Friday he ordered it. Not reported so far: any court ruling, a hearing date or a response from Alaska election officials. Watch for the first scheduling order from the district court and for Alaska's filing in reply.
DailyDrop U.S. No. 19 · October 23, 2026 · Evening