Alaska’s race pits incumbent Dan S. Sullivan against former state representative Mary Peltola and retired schoolteacher Daniel J. Sullivan. The DOJ claims that the similarity in names could mislead voters, potentially skewing the result in favor of Peltola. It asks a federal court to prevent the state from certifying the results until an investigation determines whether such confusion has impacted the vote.
Alaska’s Division of Elections and the Peltola campaign have not yet responded to requests for comment. Election‑law scholar Derek Muller of Notre Dame Law School called the DOJ’s argument “one of the worst I’ve ever seen,” suggesting the move is more about optics than substantive legal merit.
The lawsuit is now pending in federal court. If the court grants the DOJ’s request, Alaska would be required to delay certification of the Senate race, potentially affecting the timing of the midterm elections and the balance of power in Congress.
