Trump Thinks Alaskans Could Vote for the Wrong Sullivan. What Can the DOJ Do?

The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday filed a lawsuit that intends to weigh in on the results of the Senate race in Alaska. It seeks to block certification of the election results under certain conditions if Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan loses. Experts question whether it has the legal basis to do so—and if this intervention is a preview of how the Trump Administration might respond to unfavorable midterm results across the U.S.The DOJ, in its filing, expressed concern that there might be “voter confusion” stemming from the fact that two candidates on the ballot are named Dan Sullivan. Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan is currently seeking re-election, and one of his challengers is Daniel J. Sullivan.The GOP raised concerns about the similar-seeming names when Sullivan filed to run in May, and a solution was proposed to add the word “incumbent” beside the current senator’s name. But they continued to express concerns that voters will split their votes between the two men, potentially opening the door for Democrat Mary Peltola to win the seat.Alaska has traditionally been a state that leans Republican: Trump won the state by 13 points in 2024, and the state has not had a Democ...