Trump administration sues to block possible Democratic win in Alaska
The Justice Department is suing to delay certification of Alaska's Senate race over a similarly named independent candidate, a move Trump says he ordered.
The US Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit seeking to delay certification of Alaska's Senate race — a move President Donald Trump personally took credit for, prompting warnings from Democrats and voting-rights groups that the administration may be meddling in the midterm elections.
In the lawsuit, filed on Thursday, the department argued that independent candidate Daniel J. Sullivan is running to confuse or mislead voters, because his near-identical name to Republican Senator Dan Sullivan — who is seeking re-election — creates a "substantial likelihood" of voter confusion, Al Jazeera reported.
The race also includes Democrat Mary Peltola, making Alaska potentially decisive in the battle for Senate control after the November 3 vote, with polling consistently showing the contest within the margin of error.
Speaking in Fort Myers, Florida, on Friday, Trump told reporters he ordered the lawsuit: "I'm the one that said 'do it.'" The department has asked a federal judge to pause certification to allow time for an investigation.
Attorney General Todd Blanche insisted it is not the department's intention to "improperly interfere with elections," while the Brennan Center for Justice argued that state certification processes were built for this moment. The department did not respond to Al Jazeera's request for comment.
Alaska's Supreme Court rejected a previous Republican effort to remove Daniel J. Sullivan from the ballot in June, and under the state's ranked-choice voting system, voters can rank both Sullivans. The case is ongoing.
Source: Al Jazeera English — TrendWire reports stories in its own words; facts should be confirmed against the original source.