DOJ Moves to Halt Alaska Senate Certification Over Ballot Name Confusion
Alaska U.S. Senate candidate Mary Peltola, a Democrat, speaks during a campaign rally in Juneau, Alaska, on May 14, 2026. Becky Bohrer/AP Photo
The Department of Justice (DOJ) asked a federal judge on Oct. 30 to block Alaska from certifying its U.S. Senate election if Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan loses to Democrat Mary Peltola, saying votes cast for another candidate also named Dan Sullivan could alter the outcome.
The new court filing comes as residents of that state are already voting early in the Nov. 3 midterm congressional elections. Republicans currently hold 53 seats in the Senate; Democrats and independents who caucus with them hold 47 seats.
The DOJ argues that Daniel J. Sullivan, a retired teacher from Petersburg, Alaska, was brought into the race “to confuse voters,” and that the sole purpose of his candidacy “is to benefit the Peltola campaign by reducing the number of votes for Senator Sullivan.”
On Oct. 29, the DOJ amended its legal complaint in federal district court in Alaska to incorporate details from an Oct. 28 report in The New York Times. That report stated that aides to Peltola allegedly worked with Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) staff and others on what was internally called a “Ballot Composition Project” to recruit candidates who could draw votes away from the incumbent. The newspaper said the operation allegedly helped bring Daniel J. Sullivan into the race.
Peltola’s campaign, the DSCC, and Daniel J. Sullivan have denied any wrongdoing.
In court papers filed Oct. 30, the DOJ argues that a preliminary injunction should be granted because “monetary damages cannot compensate Alaskans duped into voting for Daniel J. Sullivan.”
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“When voters are unable to fairly cast ballots in federal elections, the United States suffers irreparable harm,” the department said.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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