DOJ Moves to Preemptively Block Certification of Alaska Senate Race

The U.S. Department of Justice is seeking to preemptively block certification of the Alaska U.S. Senate contest should the state certify “electoral results tainted by the inclusion” of liberal activist Daniel J. Sullivan, who is being propped up by left-wing Democrats due to sharing the same name as incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan.

The two-term senator is seeking a third term in office and is one of four candidates in the race, along with former Democrat Rep. Mary Peltola, the liberal Sullivan, and Gerald Heikes. 

The lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in Alaska on October 22, provides a lengthy list of exhibits detailing the extent of which left-wing interests have sought to confuse voters with identical names and signage. The Alaska Division of Elections initially kicked the liberal activist off the ballot, but his candidacy was reinstated by the Alaska Supreme Court. 

The liberal activist Sullivan told the New York Times he voted for the Democrat nominee in the last three presidential elections and did not vote for the senator in his previous two campaigns. He said he backed Peltola in her 2022 and 2024 U.S. House bids and has donated to her and other Democrats, according to previous Breitbart News reporting. 

Alaska uses a controversial ranked-choice voting process, in which voters are asked to rank their choices in each contest on the state’s ballot. Even small shifts in preference could play a role in the eventual winner of the race. 

In addition to the state, the suit names Alaska Elections Division Director Carol Beecher, the state’s election boards, and the state Ballot Counting Review Board as defendants, CNBC reported on the matter. 

“The United States accordingly brings this lawsuit to protect the integrity of the 2026 Senate election in Alaska,” the filing reads. 

Follow Matt Mercer on X: @mattmercer.