Trump says he ordered lawsuit to delay Alaska Senate certification

President Donald Trump said he ordered the Justice Department to seek a delay in certifying Alaska’s Senate election results, arguing that a second candidate named Sullivan could draw votes intended for the Republican incumbent in a race that could help decide control of the chamber.

“I’m the one that said do it,” Trump told reporters, according to The Guardian. The Justice Department is asking a federal judge to delay certification to allow time for an investigation into “whether votes cast for Daniel J Sullivan were meant to be cast for Senator Sullivan”, Al Jazeera reported.

The incumbent, Senator Dan S Sullivan, faces former Democratic congresswoman Mary Peltola and Daniel J Sullivan, a retired schoolteacher from Petersburg, Alaska. Polls suggest a close contest. Al Jazeera reported that a Public Policy Polling survey put Peltola one point ahead, within the margin of error.

The Justice Department argues that Daniel J Sullivan’s candidacy is intended to help Peltola by taking votes from the senator. Its filing says there is a “substantial likelihood” that including him on the ballot will confuse voters and produce a certified result reflecting “an electoral process that lacked integrity.” The Guardian reported that Trump and his allies have called Daniel J Sullivan an “impostor” without providing evidence.

The Guardian and Al Jazeera give different accounts of how the candidates will be identified on the ballot. The Guardian describes Daniel J Sullivan as a Republican candidate and says the senator’s name will carry the label “(Registered Republican) Incumbent.” Al Jazeera describes Daniel J Sullivan as an independent and reports that he will appear without a party designation, while the senator will be listed as the Republican candidate.

Alaska’s Supreme Court ruled in June that Daniel J Sullivan could remain on the ballot, rejecting an effort to remove him. Under the state’s ranked-choice system, voters rank candidates by preference; votes can transfer to a voter’s next choice as lower-placed candidates are eliminated. Al Jazeera noted that voters can rank both Sullivans.

The lawsuit has drawn objections about federal involvement in state election certification. Lauren Miller Karalunas, senior counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice, said states handle certification and the federal government has “no role” in it. Voting rights experts told The Guardian that determining after an election which candidate a voter intended to support would be practically impossible.

Attorney General Todd Blanche said the department did not intend to improperly interfere with elections or state certification, while allowing that extreme circumstances could warrant action, Al Jazeera reported. Campaign teams for both Sullivans and Peltola did not immediately respond to that outlet’s requests for comment.