Isophoric News · Tuesday, October 27, 2026
Justice Department sues over Alaska Senate ballot; attorney general defends the suit on Sunday talk shows
The Justice Department filed suit late Thursday in federal court in Alaska seeking to stop the state from certifying its U.S. Senate result if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses, citing possible voter confusion with a second candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired teacher from Petersburg, according to NPR and the Associated Press (carried by PBS). President Trump said Friday, "I'm the one that said do it," NPR reported. Attorney General Todd Blanche said on CNN and CBS on Sunday that the suit was not an attempt to take over a state election and was meant to preserve possible evidence of voter confusion, according to the AP and NPR. He rejected a CNN host's suggestion that the case could lead to a repeat of the aftermath of the 2020 election, calling it crazy, NPR and the Guardian reported. Trump told reporters Sunday that voters might not understand the incumbent label on the ballot, according to the AP. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican, criticized the suit, and Democratic candidate Mary Peltola called it "flagrant, flagrant corruption," according to the AP. Daniel J. Sullivan has said running was his own decision and denied trying to confuse voters, NPR and Straight Arrow News reported; both also reported that an Alaska state court and the Alaska Supreme Court kept him on the ballot after state election officials sought his removal. David Becker of the Center for Election Innovation and Research said he could not recall another attempt to block certification of an election, the Guardian and Straight Arrow News reported. Straight Arrow News reported that Common Cause said it was intervening against the suit.
