President Donald Trump listens to Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, during a campaign rally at the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Wasilla, Alaska. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon).
The Trump administration asked a federal judge to halt certification of Alaska’s Senate election results, arguing that voters could have mistaken one candidate for another because they share nearly identical names. Instead, the judge dismissed the case Sunday, cautioning that the government’s proposed intervention could conflict with Alaskans’ constitutional right to a secret ballot.
“The absence of any explanation from the United States as to how its requested relief could redress its alleged injury while simultaneously maintaining the secrecy of the ballot is telling,” wrote U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason.
Gleason pointed out that “many voters have already cast their ballots in the November 2026 general election.” Those ballots, she said, have been mixed together, making it impossible to separate them or determine which individual cast each one.
The judge, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, added that the government had offered no practical method for isolating ballots cast for Daniel J. Sullivan on Election Day and then investigating them in a way that would protect voters’ anonymity.
The U.S. Department of Justice had asked Gleason to stop Alaska election officials from certifying the results while it examined whether voters had accidentally selected the wrong Dan Sullivan on ranked-choice ballots. The DOJ sought to block certification, arguing that if Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan narrowly loses to Democrat Mary Peltola, the outcome could reflect a deliberate effort by unaffiliated candidate Daniel J. Sullivan to confuse the incumbent’s supporters after entering the race as a Republican.
Last weekend, Peltola’s main campaign committee and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee asked to join the case. The Democrats urged the district court to dismiss the lawsuit as early as “this week,” warning that the litigation should not “hang like the Sword of Damocles over the ongoing” midterm elections.
The administration defended the lawsuit and opposed the request to intervene, arguing that the state already represented the relevant interests.
In an amended complaint, the DOJ argued that Democrats themselves created the alleged confusion. Its filing cited recent New York Times reporting that Democrats recruited the second Sullivan to enter the race.
On Thursday, the DSCC and Peltola’s principal campaign committee argued that the reporting about the alleged “spoiler” effort did not alter the legal defects in the case. In a renewed motion to dismiss, they said the amended complaint still failed to “defend its indefensible legal claims as it was ordered to do” by the court.
On Friday, after Gleason ordered the administration to respond directly to the dismissal motions by 1 p.m. Alaska Daylight Time, or 5 p.m. Eastern, the government submitted its long-delayed defense. The response focused heavily on the Times report.
“Tellingly, in their motion, the Peltola Campaign and the DSCC acknowledge the report that they have orchestrated this fraudulent campaign — and they do not deny any aspect of it,” the motion stated. “Defendants and Intervenors nevertheless argue the United States and this Court are powerless to do anything to protect Alaskans in these circumstances. They are wrong, and the Court should deny their motions to dismiss.”
Gleason remained unconvinced that the government had shown how its proposed investigation could be carried out. Establishing whether a ballot was intended for the Republican incumbent would require examining a voter’s private choice—exactly the ballot-secrecy issue the DOJ had not resolved.
The department based its lawsuit on the preamble to the National Voter Registration Act. Government attorneys are expected to appeal the ruling.
Gleason also cited remarks made at an Oct. 30, 2026, news conference by the U.S. attorney for Alaska, who said federal and state law enforcement officials were working to ensure that votes counted “in a way that you meant and intended it to count.” The official described the case as an effort to preserve the ballots so Alaska could determine the winner. But, Gleason wrote, the government’s filings never explained how investigators could examine voter intent without compromising ballot secrecy. That uncertainty, she said, could cause voters to worry that law enforcement might later scrutinize their private choices. As a result, the court concluded that the United States had not shown its alleged injury could be remedied through a court order.
The dispute over the two candidates’ names has unfolded for months. Alaska Republicans previously sought to keep Sullivan Jr. off the ballot, but the Alaska Supreme Court ruled in June that he was legally entitled to run.
Incumbent Sen. Sullivan told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday that he would accept the election’s outcome whether he won or lost.
The post ‘Absence of any explanation’: Judge rejects Trump administration’s effort to block Alaska Senate election certification if Republican incumbent loses, after DOJ blames similarly named rival first appeared on Law & Crime.
