Justice Department sues to block Alaska’s Senate result if the Republican loses; Trump says he ordered it

What happened

On October 22, 2026, the Justice Department sued Alaska’s election officials in federal court, asking a judge to block certification of the state’s U.S. Senate race in one case: if Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan loses, and he would have won had the votes cast for a second candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan, gone to him instead. The filing, signed by Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward, says “some supporters of Senator Sullivan likely will inadvertently vote for Daniel J. Sullivan” and asks that certification wait for an investigation of the votes cast for him.

Alaska’s elections division had tried to remove the second Sullivan in June, finding his candidacy was not in good faith; the state courts, including the Alaska Supreme Court, kept him on the ballot. The November ballot lists the senator as the Republican incumbent and the other Sullivan with no party. He won about 2% in the August primary.

On October 23, Trump told reporters: “I’m the one that said do it.” The same day the suit was filed, Attorney General Todd Blanche said it is “never our intention to improperly interfere with elections or the state certification process.”

Where it stands

No court has ruled. Alaska’s elections division said it is reviewing the complaint. Notre Dame law professor Derek Muller told the AP that “the statute simply doesn’t let the Department of Justice enjoin certification” and that the case would likely be mooted or dismissed.

Who benefited

Sen. Sullivan and the Republican Party, in a race polls show within the margin of error and that could decide control of the Senate. The suit gives them a federal case to hold up a narrow Democratic win.

Who wanted something

Trump, who has long complained about the second Sullivan and said he ordered the suit. A DOJ spokesperson said the second Sullivan’s “candidacy was intended to mislead voters” and that the department was acting under the National Voter Registration Act.

Who lost out

Alaska voters, whose result the federal government has asked a court to freeze before a single vote is counted. Elections are run and certified by the states; the Brennan Center’s Lauren Miller Karalunas told Al Jazeera the federal government has “no role” in certification.

Why it matters

The federal government has asked a court to freeze a state’s Senate result before Election Day, for an outcome that only triggers if the president’s party loses, and the president says the order came from him. Voting-rights experts told the Guardian it is an “unprecedented intervention” with control of the Senate at stake.

Sources NBC NewsPBS NewsHour (AP)The GuardianAl Jazeera