“[To reporters after landing in Florida for a campaign rally, asked about the lawsuit:] Well, I'm one that said, "Do it." … They have two guys run named Dan Sullivan running. … [Democrats] put up a guy … I don't think he ever voted before. All of a sudden he decides to run for the Senate, and his name is Dan Sullivan. … One is Daniel S., one is Daniel J. The Daniel J. is the fake.
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DOJ Sues to Block Alaska Senate Certification if Sullivan Loses: Trump, Murkowski, Schumer React
Eleven Days Before the Election, the Justice Department Sues to Stop Alaska From Certifying Its Senate Race if Dan Sullivan Loses — Trump Says "I'm the One That Said Do It," Lisa Murkowski Says the Department "Should Never Have Filed This Lawsuit," and Chuck Schumer Calls It "an Outrage"
October 24, 2026
What happened▸
On Oct. 22, 2026, the Justice Department sued Alaska election officials in federal court, asking for an order blocking certification of the state's U.S. Senate result if Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan loses and would have won had the votes cast for a second candidate on the ballot, retired Petersburg teacher Daniel J. Sullivan, gone to him under Alaska's ranked-choice count. The complaint, signed by Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward and citing the National Voter Registration Act, argues that if the state certifies results "tainted by the inclusion on the ballot of Daniel J. Sullivan," it "will fail in its obligation to protect the integrity of its election." Republicans have called the second Sullivan a Democratic plant; he says he decided to run on his own, and the Alaska Supreme Court ordered him kept on the ballot after an earlier challenge. Sen. Sullivan is labeled the incumbent on the ballot. In the August all-party primary, Democrat Mary Peltola took 49.5%, Sullivan 41.4% and Daniel J. Sullivan 2.5%.
The day before the filing, Trump posted that he was "looking at powerful legal options" to remove the second Sullivan from the ballot, and on Oct. 23 he told reporters in Florida that he had ordered the suit. Attorney General Todd Blanche, speaking hours before it was filed, said it is never the department's intention "to improperly interfere with elections" or certification. Election law scholars said no statute lets the Justice Department block a state's certification. Sen. Sullivan's campaign said he did not ask for the suit and would "let the DOJ complaint run its course." Election Day is Nov. 3.
See what your representatives said?
7 Statements
“[On X, calling the suit wholly unnecessary because the state has already clearly distinguished the two candidates on the ballot:] Alaskans don't need any help voting for their preferred candidates. … The Department of Justice should never have filed this lawsuit.
“[On X:] This is an outrage. It shows they know they're going to lose. We will fight tooth and nail. And we will win.
“[Statement from campaign spokesman Nate Adams, after the campaign said Sullivan had not asked the Justice Department to file the suit:] We'll let the DOJ complaint run its course. … Alaskans can tell the difference between a Democrat sideshow …
“[In an interview with MS NOW's Nicolle Wallace and remarks the same day:] This is exactly the kind of corruption that Alaskans are sick and tired of. … This is clearly a very desperate attempt to cling to power. … It's sending a message that Dan Sullivan does not believe that Alaskans are sophisticated enough. … Alaskans know exactly who they're voting for.
“[To reporters in Virginia, hours before the lawsuit was filed, asked whether the Justice Department would ever intervene in a state's election process:] I mean, is there any scenario? Yes, of course. … It is not DOJ's intention to, and it's never our intention to improperly interfere with elections, or the state confirmation process or certification process. … I'm not trying to not have an election certified. Of course not.
“[On social media, the day before the Justice Department filed suit:] We are looking at powerful legal options to remove the fraudulent Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. from the Ballot.