Trump administration sues to block Alaska election results

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(The Center Square) – The Trump administration sued to stop certification of election results in Alaska if a candidate with the same name of incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan remains on the ballot. 

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against election administrators in Alaska on Thursday, arguing the inclusion of schoolteacher Dan J. Sullivan on the four-candidate ballot undermines confidence in a fair election process. 

Dan J. Sullivan launched his campaign in May for U.S. Senate. He registered as a Republican and advanced to the November general election as one of four candidates running for the statewide office. 

Alaska uses ranked choice voting for the top four vote getters in a primary election, regardless of party. Lawyers at the Justice Department said Dan J. Sullivan's candidacy was "frivolous" and undermines election integrity. 

Incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan is in a heated race against Democratic candidate Mary Peltola. Many election analysts predict Alaska's Senate race could determine control of the upper chamber in Congress. 

Lawyers for the DOJ alleged Dan J. Sullivan consulted a "longtime supporter of Democratic candidates" after launching his campaign. The lawyers also said he supported Democratic candidates in Alaska, including Peltola in previous elections, despite running as Republican. 

The lawyers said Daniel J. Sullivan is attempting to confuse voters with his candidacy. In June, the Alaska Supreme Court allowed Dan J. Sullivan to remain on the ballot, pending a full opinion which is yet to be released. 

"Daniel J. Sullivan’s presence on the ballot threatens to mislead Alaskan citizens who want to vote for Senator Sullivan," lawyers for the DOJ wrote. "For example, some supporters of Senator Sullivan likely will inadvertently vote for Daniel J. Sullivan. Other supporters of Senator Sullivan likely will be confused as to how to rank the three Republican candidates as to defeat Peltola."

The lawyers called for the Alaska District Court to block the results from being certified as long as Daniel J. Sullivan remains in the race. They also called for an investigation into the effect of Daniel J. Sullivan's candidacy on election outcomes. 

"There is a substantial likelihood that a certification of the election will reflect an electoral process that lacked integrity," the lawyers wrote. 

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker slammed the lawsuit on social media Friday.

"MAGA Republicans know they can't win on their record alone, so they cheat," Pritzker wrote. "This is a sad, scared and last ditch attempt to stop Mary Peltola from becoming Alaska’s next United States Senator."