Alaska Judge to Rule on DOJ Suit Challenging Senate Election Certification
With days left until voting, a federal court in Anchorage is set to decide whether to dismiss a Justice Department lawsuit arguing that a recruited candidate distorted the Senate race.
By Madison Lewis ·
Alaska voters face a potential legal hurdle before their November ballots are counted. A federal judge in Anchorage is expected to rule as soon as Saturday on motions to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice. The suit seeks to block the certification of the state’s U.S. Senate election if incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan loses by a narrow margin.
The legal fight stems from a New York Times report that Democratic operatives recruited a specific candidate to run with the intent of drawing votes away from Sullivan. The DOJ has added these allegations to its existing civil suit. The state’s division of elections is one of the parties asking the judge to toss the case. Governor Mike Dunleavy also ordered a separate state agency to investigate whether the recruitment operation violated any laws.
Legal experts interviewed by Alaska Public Media noted that a candidate’s motives typically do not matter under Alaska law. One law professor described the DOJ case as a press release dressed up as a lawsuit. He did not expect it to have strong legal footing. The Justice Department has also launched a parallel criminal investigation but has not identified the specific crimes under review.
The race was already tight enough to draw President Donald Trump to the state to campaign for Sullivan. The spoiler allegations have added a new layer to the final days of campaigning. Democratic candidate Mary Peltola addressed the issue in a speech in Juneau last night. She told a crowd she knew nothing about other candidates on the ballot except herself and the incumbent. Peltola said she was not interested in tricking voters.
Sullivan responded on Fox News, claiming Peltola is lying and cheating. A Republican National Committee spokesman argued this case is unique because the recruited candidate shares Sullivan’s last name. He said the goal was to confuse voters.
Supporters of Peltola in Anchorage expressed mixed feelings. Many said they disliked the maneuvering described in the newspaper report. Amber McClelland, a Democrat in Anchorage, said recruiting a candidate just to draw votes away from an opponent should not be a common tactic. She noted that Republicans have historically used similar strategies to win.
Republican-aligned groups spent money this year to place a Green Party candidate from Arizona on the ballot. That candidate did not survive the state’s top four primary. Two years ago, the Republican Party defended the right of a federal prison inmate, Eric Hafner, to run for Congress. A Republican-affiliated super PAC also tried to place Hafner’s mother on the Senate ballot this year. She also lost in the primary.
Peltola is campaigning this weekend and may address the allegations again. The state’s election officials and legal teams are waiting for the judge’s decision on the dismissal motions. The outcome will determine if the standard certification process proceeds or if the courts will intervene before the final vote count is confirmed.
