NewsWSVN 7 News MiamiOctober 24, 2026Miami-Dade County
President Trump says he directed the Justice Department to file a lawsuit blocking Alaska's Senate election certification
Photo: WSVN 7 News Miami
President Donald Trump stated that he ordered the Department of Justice to file a federal lawsuit seeking to block certification of Alaska's U.S. Senate race if incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses. The lawsuit targets the presence of a second candidate named Daniel J. Sullivan on the ballot, whom Republicans allege was placed to siphon votes from the senator.
Read the full story at WSVN 7 News MiamiWhy It Matters
The Department of Justice's legal challenge seeks to halt the of an official U.S. Senate election result in a state of 738,000 residents just 11 days before the November 3 election, raising ongoing legal and constitutional questions over federal authority in state-run elections.
Key Facts
- President Donald Trump stated he ordered the Department of Justice to file a lawsuit to block certification of Alaska's U.S. Senate race if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses.
- The lawsuit was filed late Thursday in federal court in Alaska ahead of the November 3 election.
- The legal challenge targets the presence of a second candidate on the ballot named Daniel J. Sullivan, whom Republicans allege was fielded to siphon votes from the incumbent.
- Both a state court and the Alaska Supreme Court previously rejected a Republican effort to remove Daniel J. Sullivan from the ballot.
- Daniel J. Sullivan received 4,107 votes (about 2% of the total) in the August primary, while Sen. Dan Sullivan received over 68,000 votes.
- Alaska's ranked-choice voting system allows voters to select multiple candidates, a system that President Trump opposes.
- U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche denied that a separate DOJ lawsuit in California regarding 20,000 voters was a prelude to challenging midterm certification.
- Law professor Derek Muller noted that federal statutes do not typically allow the Department of Justice to enjoin election certification and predicted the lawsuit may be dismissed or become moot.
Who's Mentioned
OrganizationDemocratic Senatorial Campaign Committee“Political committee”locationOhio“State mentioned regarding third-party candidate tactics”locationCalifornia“State involved in a separate DOJ voting lawsuit”locationAlaska“State where the Senate race is taking place”PersonMary Peltola“Democratic candidate and former congresswoman”PersonDaniel J. Sullivan“Second candidate on the ballot from Petersburg”PersonJoe Biden“Former President of the United States”PersonDevan Barber“Executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee”locationAnchorage“City in Alaska”OrganizationAlaska Supreme Court“State court that rejected an effort to remove Daniel J. Sullivan from the ballot”locationVirginia“Location where U.S. Attorney General spoke”PersonTodd Blanche“U.S. Attorney General”PersonDerek Muller“Law professor at the University of Notre Dame”PersonDonald Trump“President of the United States”PersonNate Adams“Campaign spokesman for Sen. Dan Sullivan”PersonDan Sullivan“Republican U.S. Senator from Alaska”PersonLisa Murkowski“U.S. Senator from Alaska”locationPetersburg“Fishing community in Alaska”PersonStanley Woodward“Associate U.S. Attorney General”OrganizationDepartment of Justice“Federal department that filed the lawsuit”