Alaska Senate race certification fight after US judge dismisses Justice Department lawsuit

A federal judge in Alaska has dismissed a Justice Department lawsuit that sought to stop the state from certifying the results of the upcoming US Senate race if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses. The ruling came just two days before the November 3 midterm election, which will help determine control of the US Congress. Sullivan has separately said he will accept the election outcome.

US District Court Judge Sharon Gleason said the case was infeasible because many voters had already cast ballots and those ballots had been commingled, making it impossible to identify individual voters. In her ruling, she said the United States had not provided a workable plan to separate ballots cast for Daniel J. Sullivan on Election Day while preserving voter secrecy.

The senator is listed on the ballot as Dan S. Sullivan and marked as the Republican incumbent. The legal dispute centres on whether Alaska could be prevented from certifying its results if Sullivan is defeated by Democratic challenger Mary Peltola.

Sullivan told CNN that he would accept the election results, while also accusing Peltola and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and their aides of cheating. Peltola has denied any role in recruiting a separate candidate with a similar name and has described the issue as a distraction from concerns such as high prices. The case has drawn attention because it touches on election certification, ballot secrecy and the handling of disputed races in a closely watched Senate contest.

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It also follows a report alleging that members of Peltola's campaign helped recruit a retired teacher named Dan J Sullivan Jr to run as a spoiler candidate, potentially drawing votes away from the incumbent. That report appears to have prompted the renewed legal push to block certification if Sullivan were to lose. The dispute comes at a sensitive moment in a race with national implications, since the outcome will help shape the balance of power in Washington.

Alaska's election rules and the timing of early voting have become central to the court's reasoning, with the judge stressing that the ballots were already mixed together. The case also highlights how closely contested Senate races can quickly become entangled in legal and procedural fights over how results are counted and certified. What remains unclear is whether any further legal challenge will follow the dismissal, or whether the election will proceed to certification without additional court action.

The immediate focus now shifts to the vote itself and to how Alaska officials handle the count after polls close. The broader question is whether the controversy over the spoiler candidate will affect the final margin in a race already under intense scrutiny.

#Alaska #DanSullivan #MaryPeltola #electioncertification #USSenaterace