DOJ Sues to Halt Alaska Certification

President Donald Trump directed the Department of Justice to sue in federal court to prevent the certification of a potential Democratic victory in the Alaska U.S. Senate race. The department filed a demand on Monday asking a judge to hold up the official results until it determines whether voters were confused by two candidates with the same name on the ballot. This legal move marks the first time since the Civil Rights era that the federal government has sued to stop a state from certifying an election, a duty the Constitution assigns to the states.

The conflict stems from a campaign strategy involving two Dan Sullivans. Democratic candidate Mary Peltola, a former congresswoman, allegedly helped recruit an independent candidate named Dan Sullivan to draw votes away from the Republican incumbent, who also shares that name. Trump has called for the prosecution of Peltola based on a New York Times report detailing this recruitment effort. The president has used his midterm rallies to criticize ranked choice voting in Alaska, calling the system a scam and accusing Democrats of cheating.

The administration's actions have expanded beyond Alaska. This week, Trump announced a $1 million bounty for proof of voter fraud, though he has not specified how the reward would be paid. The Justice Department also sued California to block the state from counting ballots after alleging it had 20,000 noncitizens on its rolls. A similar demand was made of Washington regarding 400 voters. A federal judge rejected the California demand on Wednesday, stating the requests arrived too close to the election to be fulfilled. Additionally, the department seized ballots and records from Fulton County, Georgia, related to the 2020 presidential election.

Republican allies in Alaska have expressed frustration with the federal intervention. Senator Lisa Murkowski said the administration should never have filed the suit. Alaska's state government, which is Republican-controlled, filed court papers to dismiss the case. Senator Dan Sullivan declined to say whether he supported the lawsuit. Derek Muller, a law professor at Notre Dame, wrote that the legal argument was one of the worst he had ever seen. He argued that the conduct appears impulsive rather than strategic, suggesting the federal government has no role in challenging results if state courts allow the extra candidates.

Theresa Lee, a senior attorney with the ACLU, noted that the groundwork for these legal battles has been laid for at least a year and a half. She said her organization has been preparing for just as long. Trump told reporters this week that he would accept the election results if they are honest. He has a history of preemptively claiming upcoming elections are rigged, a pattern that began with the 2016 Iowa caucuses where he lost to Ted Cruz. At the time, Trump said Cruz stole the primary.

Early voting has proceeded without major disruption, with about 35 million Americans casting ballots so far. This mirrors the 2025 off-year elections in New Jersey and Virginia, which also faced bracing from Democrats but proceeded smoothly. However, the Justice Department's aggressive actions this month distinguish the 2026 cycle. Attorney General Todd Blanche told CNN on Sunday that the department did not want to intervene but had no choice in Alaska. He insisted that the administration is not trying to take over a state election.

Trump told reporters he was the one who pushed for the Alaska lawsuit, stating, I'm the one that said do it. The courts have previously rebuffed the administration's attempts to change voting procedures, putting two executive orders on hold. The administration has also lost more than two dozen cases seeking detailed voter information from states. Pat McCrory, a former North Carolina governor, expressed confidence that the Constitution will protect the system from anarchy. He described the document as a cement wall that will continue to stymie the president in court.