Federal judge dismisses Justice Department suit to block Alaska Senate race certification

A federal judge on Sunday, 1 November 2026, dismissed a lawsuit that sought to block certification of Alaska's US Senate race if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses. The US Justice Department brought the lawsuit. The Guardian, Le Monde and the Associated Press (AP) reported the dismissal.

The department said it planned to appeal, according to The Guardian.

Background

Donald Trump said on 23 October that he had ordered the Justice Department to file the lawsuit, according to The Guardian. The newspaper reported that the suit was filed less than two weeks before election day.

In the lawsuit, the department argued that there could be "voter confusion" because two candidates named Dan Sullivan are on the November ballot, according to The Guardian. Mary Peltola is the Democratic nominee in the race.

The Guardian cited a New York Times investigation. According to that investigation, aides from Peltola's campaign recruited another man named Dan Sullivan to join the race to draw votes away from the incumbent. The Guardian also cited the Washington Post. According to the Post, a Republican super PAC promoted two Senate candidates in the Alaska Democratic primaries who did not live in Alaska. The super PAC praised them as progressives similar to Bernie Sanders.

What is disputed

Whether Peltola knew of any effort to add a second Dan Sullivan to the ballot is contested. She denies any knowledge. Sullivan says she is lying.

What each side says

• Justice Department: A spokesperson said in a statement: "Alaskan voters deserve a fair election, not to be misled in an attempt to rig outcomes." The department plans to appeal, according to The Guardian.
• Dan Sullivan: In an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday morning, Sullivan said: "No, I'm going to accept the election results." He said he is focused on winning rather than on legal challenges to Peltola's campaign. He also said: "She's continually lying to the Alaskan people." And: "And I guarantee you, she's lying right now."
• Mary Peltola: She denies any knowledge of a scheme by her campaign to add a second Dan Sullivan to the ballot. She told a reporter at a campaign event that she had "no idea" whether any of her staff were involved, according to The Guardian.
• Republicans, including Trump: They have said Peltola should be disqualified from the race and criminally prosecuted, according to The Guardian.
• Voting rights experts: Unnamed experts described the lawsuit as an "unprecedented intervention" by the federal government, according to The Guardian.

What the reports do not include

The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not name the judge or the court. They do not describe the legal reasoning for the dismissal. They do not say whether an appeal has been filed. They do not include responses from Alaska election authorities or from the Peltola campaign to the ruling. They do not identify the second candidate named Dan Sullivan.

Analysis

The ruling removes, for now, a federal legal challenge to how Alaska's Senate result would be certified. Its longer-term effect depends on whether the Justice Department files an appeal and how a higher court responds, neither of which the reports describe. Separately, the allegations about candidate recruitment, reported by the New York Times and the Washington Post and involving both parties' allies, remain unresolved in the reports reviewed. Sullivan's statement that he will accept the results may shape how any outcome is received. Voters and officials on all sides may watch closely whether post-election disputes move to the courts, to election authorities, or neither.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.