Alaska Senate Race Proceeds as Court Blocks Federal Effort to Halt Certification

Alaska voters will proceed with the certification of their U.S. Senate race on the upcoming Tuesday without a federal stay, following a ruling that cleared the path for the election results to be finalized. The decision removes a legal hurdle that the Trump administration had sought to use if incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan were to lose the contest. This development resolves a procedural dispute that had threatened to delay the counting of ballots in one of the most closely watched races of the cycle.

U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason dismissed the lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice on Sunday. Her ruling came less than two weeks before the general election, which is set for Nov. 3. Gleason stated that the government's proposed solution was not viable because many residents had already cast their votes. She noted that the United States did not offer a practical method to separate ballots issued for the other candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan, from those cast for the senator while preserving the secrecy of the vote.

The central issue involves a retired teacher, Daniel J. Sullivan, who shares a first and middle name with the incumbent. The Justice Department argued that the presence of this second Sullivan on the ballot could confuse voters and siphon votes from the senator. The state of Alaska maintained that the federal government lacked standing to intervene and that resolving the question without violating voter privacy was impossible. State attorneys described the federal complaint as lacking merit.

The Department of Justice announced shortly after the ruling that it would appeal the decision. A spokesperson for the agency stated that Alaskan voters deserve a fair election rather than being misled in an attempt to manipulate results. The department clarified that while the case was dismissed on procedural grounds, the judge did not refute the government's argument that the second Sullivan entered the race as a frivolous candidate intended to cause confusion.

Senate candidate Mary Peltola, the former Democratic congresswoman challenging Sullivan, welcomed the ruling. Devan Barber, executive director of the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee, called the decision a victory for democracy. He asserted that no powerful figure could overturn free and fair elections simply because they disliked the outcome. Peltola's campaign said the dismissal prevents a "simulated investigation" from blocking Alaskans from choosing their representative.

The dispute follows a federal criminal investigation intensified on Thursday, where the FBI began contacting donors of the second Sullivan. Trump posted on social media on Sunday that the candidate had disappeared, claiming no one could find him. The Alaska Supreme Court and other state tribunals had previously rejected attempts by Republicans to remove the second Sullivan from the August primary ballot, where he secured approximately 2.5 percent of the vote, qualifying him for the general election.