# Alaska’s GOP-led government asks court to block DOJ Senate race certification lawsuit

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/alaskas-gop-led-government-asks-court-to-block-doj-senate-race-certification-lawsuit/
- Published: 2026-10-28T15:28:30+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-04T00:45:41+00:00
- Original publisher: The Hill (publisher lean: Centre)
- Original article: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6177625-alaska-gop-moves-dismiss-doj-lawsuit/
- Topics: Americas, Art, Culture, Elections, Government, Politics, World

## Key points

- Alaska sought dismissal of a federal lawsuit targeting certification of its Senate result.
- The dispute centred on two candidates named Sullivan appearing on the ballot.
- A judge dismissed the case on 1 November; the Justice Department appealed.

## Summary

Alaska’s Republican-led government asked a federal court to dismiss a US Department of Justice lawsuit that sought to delay certification of the state’s Senate election if Republican incumbent Dan S. Sullivan lost. The department argued that voters might mistake another candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan Jr, for the senator and asked for an investigation into whether votes for the challenger were intended for the incumbent. Alaska’s election officials said the lawsuit had no legal basis. They argued that the ballot distinguished the two men by their names and identified the senator as the Republican incumbent, and that investigating how individuals meant to vote would threaten ballot secrecy.

The dispute arose after Alaska’s Supreme Court ruled that Daniel J. Sullivan Jr could appear on the ballot alongside the incumbent and Democrat Mary Peltola. The state filed its dismissal request on 26 October, after early voting had begun. On 1 November, a federal judge dismissed the Justice Department’s case, finding that its proposed remedy was unworkable and could not be carried out while protecting voter secrecy. The department filed a notice of appeal. The separate question of whether the second Sullivan’s candidacy confused voters was not resolved by the dismissal.

## Coverage

- [The Hill: Alaska’s GOP-led government asks court to block DOJ Senate race certification lawsuit](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6177625-alaska-gop-moves-dismiss-doj-lawsuit/)
- [Alaska Department of Law: Defendants’ motion to dismiss](https://www.democracydocket.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/2026-10-26-Alaskas-motion-to-dismiss.pdf)
- [US District Court for the District of Alaska: Order granting dismissal](https://www.democracydocket.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Order-granting-dismissal.pdf)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.