A federal judge in Alaska has rejected the Trump administration’s lawsuit seeking to challenge the state’s Senate election results because two candidates have similar names. The case concerned Republican Senator Daniel S. Sullivan, who is seeking re-election, and retired professor Daniel J. Sullivan, whose candidacy could draw votes from him.
Filed by the Justice Department in October at President Donald Trump’s direction, the lawsuit asked the court to prevent certification if the senator lost but would have won had he received all votes cast for the professor. It also sought an investigation into whether those voters had intended to support the senator.
Chief U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason said the federal government had not explained how separating the ballots and investigating voters’ intentions could work without violating ballot secrecy. She also questioned how the proposed remedy would resolve any confusion. Gleason, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, emphasized states’ authority to administer their elections.
The lawsuit accused Daniel J. Sullivan of trying to mislead voters into thinking he was the incumbent senator. It cited his change from independent to Republican when registering as a candidate and similarities between the candidates’ campaign website colors. The retired professor has said he voted for Democrats in the past three presidential elections and supported Mary Peltola in her 2022 and 2024 House campaigns.
The final ballot distinguished the candidates: the senator appeared as “Dan S. Sullivan,” with his party and incumbent status listed, while the professor appeared as “Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.” without a party affiliation. Alaska also uses ranked-choice voting in general elections, allowing voters to rank both candidates if they were confused by the names.
Peltola and national Democrats, who deny involvement in the professor’s candidacy, joined the case as defendants, along with the League of Women Voters. The state’s lawyers noted that state courts had already rejected an effort by the state election authority to remove Daniel J. Sullivan from the ballot.
A New York Times investigation reported that a Democratic operative linked to Peltola’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee recruited the professor as part of a broader effort to field independent and third-party candidates who could take votes from the senator. Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy ordered a criminal investigation into Peltola’s campaign, while the state’s Division of Elections opposed the federal lawsuit.
Gleason had expressed skepticism in October, when she allowed the case to proceed on an expedited schedule. She noted that the lawsuit was filed after Alaska voters had begun casting ballots and nearly four months after the state Supreme Court ordered Daniel J. Sullivan’s name placed on the ballot.
Sources: Folha Mundo.