Trump on DOJ challenge to Alaska election: ‘I’m the one that said do it’

Shortly after the Department of Justice (DOJ) sued Alaska to preemptively challenge the results of the state’s U.S. Senate race if the Republican loses, President Donald Trump said he ordered the dangerous lawsuit.

“I’m the one that said ‘do it,’” he told reporters during a visit to Florida. 

The DOJ lawsuit is the Trump administration’s first direct challenge to election certification during the 2026 midterms. It was filed the same day that Attorney General Todd Blanche downplayed concerns that the DOJ would sue states to block certification, suggesting that would only happen under a “doomsday scenario.”

The suit calls for Alaska’s Division of Elections to set aside the results of the Senate race if anyone other than incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan (R) wins. It claims that voters may be confused by the candidacy of Daniel J. Sullivan — another man running as a Republican — and that mistaken votes for him, rather than Sen. Sullivan, would undermine the election’s integrity.

Trump’s claim to have ordered the lawsuit likely isn’t just bluster. Standing next to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), Trump showed he knew the details of the race, including the two Sullivans’ middle initials.

“They have two guys named Dan Sullivan running,” he said, claiming Democrats “put up” Daniel J. Sullivan as a candidate. 

“I know!” DeSantis laughed.

“I don’t think he ever voted before,” Trump continued. “All of the sudden he decides to run for the Senate. And his name is Dan Sullivan — one is Daniel S. One is Daniel J. Daniel J. is the fake” 

While DeSantis may find it funny, the lawsuit against Alaska is a serious escalation in the Trump administration’s attacks on the midterms. It’s also not clear that voters will be confused, and Alaska’s highest court has already approved Daniel J. Sullivan’s candidacy.

On the ballot, Sen. Sullivan is listed as the Republican incumbent, whereas Daniel J. Sullivan does not have a party affiliation next to his name. 

The Division of Elections kicked the second Sullivan off of the ballot earlier this year, saying his candidacy aimed to confuse voters. But the Alaska Supreme Court ordered him back on over the summer after protracted litigation. Early voting in the state began earlier this week. 

Alaska’s voting system advances the top four vote-receivers in the primary to the general election. The state also uses ranked-choice voting in the general election, meaning that any voter confused over which Sullivan to support could simply rank them first and second on their ballots. As the process eliminates a candidate with fewer votes — presumably Daniel J. Sullivan before Sen. Sullivan — those votes would then get reassigned to the next-ranked candidate. 

The lawsuit has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason, who was appointed by President Barack Obama. 

It is unclear whether the suit can survive motions to dismiss, given the speculative nature of the claims. Election officials would also likely struggle to distinguish between votes intentionally cast for Daniel J. Sullivan and those mistakenly cast for him.