Alaska U.S. Senate Election Certification Challenge (DOJ)

An anti-voting lawsuit seeking to prevent Alaska from certifying a U.S. Senate election if the Trump administration’s preferred candidate loses.

Background 

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) sued Alaska in federal court, seeking to prevent the state from certifying a U.S. Senate election result that it claims could be affected by voter confusion caused by a candidate named Daniel J. Sullivan, who is running against incumbent Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan. The lawsuit alleges that Daniel J. Sullivan deliberately sought to mislead voters who intended to vote for Sen. Dan S. Sullivan and argues that certifying an election result affected by that confusion would violate the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). The DOJ asks the court to block the state from certifying “any result that may be impacted by voter confusion…pending an investigation to determine whether votes cast for Daniel J. Sullivan were meant to be cast for Senator Sullivan.” 

Why It Matters

This marks the first attempt by the Trump administration to block certification of a 2026 midterm election result if the administration’s preferred candidate loses.

Latest Update

• Oct. 22, 2026: DOJ filed its complaint.