Judge Dismisses Trump Administration’s Suit Over Alaska Senate Race

President Trump attended a campaign rally with Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, who is running for reelection in Wasilla, Alaska, on October 13. A ruling from U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to halt the certification of results in a significant U.S. Senate race in Alaska if the Republican incumbent were to lose.

Judge Gleason decided the federal government lacks the authority to pursue this lawsuit. The Justice Department lawyers had used the preamble of the National Voter Registration Act to support their case. They are anticipated to appeal the decision made by Gleason, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama.

President Trump stated he ordered the lawsuit because out of four candidates on Alaska’s Senate ballot, two share similar names: Sen. Dan Sullivan, the Republican seeking reelection, and Daniel Sullivan Jr., an independent candidate. The Alaska Republican Party had previously attempted to remove Sullivan Jr. from the ballot through state court efforts, but the Alaska Supreme Court ruled in June that Sullivan Jr. had the right to run.

Allegations have emerged from Republicans suggesting that Democrats are supporting Sullivan Jr. to undermine incumbent Sullivan’s reelection bid. A New York Times report, which NPR has not independently verified, highlighted Democratic operatives’ efforts to recruit Sullivan Jr., bringing further scrutiny to these claims. The Republican Governor of Alaska, Mike Dunleavy, has launched an investigation and suggested that the race’s certification might be delayed based on the investigation’s findings.

“If we find out there’s wrongdoing, and if that means that the certification then is stopped or changed, then that’s what happens,” said Dunleavy on Friday in an interview with NewsNation.

At a Friday press conference in Anchorage, U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman mentioned an ongoing Justice Department criminal inquiry. The Democratic candidate, former Rep. Mary Peltola, has denied any involvement in the controversy.

The article was edited by Benjamin Swasey.