Why Trump Is Trying to Overturn an Election That Hasn’t Happened Yet
A lawsuit before Election Day
The Justice Department filed its federal lawsuit on Thursday, seeking to block a possible victory by former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola in Alaska’s 2026 Senate race. President Donald Trump said he personally directed the department to bring the case.
The action came less than two weeks before Election Day, although the election was still more than a week away. The lawsuit, United States v. Alaska, argues that the ballot should not include Dan J. Sullivan, a candidate who shares a name with Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan.
Why Republicans fear confusion
Republicans worry that voters who support the incumbent could mistakenly choose the other Dan Sullivan. The concern is that the second candidate’s presence could weaken Sen. Sullivan’s reelection bid against Peltola.
But the sample ballot from Alaska’s Division of Elections labels the senator as a “Registered Republican” and the “Incumbent.” Alaska also uses ranked-choice voting, allowing voters to rank candidates and transferring votes from losing candidates to their next preference. A voter unsure which Sullivan is the incumbent could rank both candidates among their top choices, the article explains, allowing the system to count the vote for the senator if the other candidate loses.
Courts already addressed the ballot
Alaska’s Division of Elections initially tried to disqualify Dan J. Sullivan, saying he had not pursued the Senate race in “good faith.” He sued, and an Alaska court ordered his reinstatement, finding that the good-faith requirement was not in the Constitution, state statutes or implementing regulations.
The Alaska Supreme Court upheld that ruling last June. The article says Republicans could have asked the Division of Elections, which is led by a Republican, to appeal the decision to the US Supreme Court, but they did not do so at the time.
A late challenge faces hurdles
The article says the Justice Department’s complaint offers no persuasive legal argument for removing the candidate. It also points to the Purcell principle, which advises federal courts to avoid changing election rules close to voting; the Supreme Court reaffirmed the principle on the day the suit was filed.
The lawsuit may fail, the article says, but its timing and purpose raise concern about the administration’s willingness to use federal power against Democratic election victories. The complaint is described as seeking to preemptively block a Peltola victory before voters have cast their ballots.
Key points
- The Justice Department sued to block a possible Peltola victory in Alaska’s 2026 Senate election.
- The ballot identifies Sen. Dan S. Sullivan as the incumbent and a registered Republican.
- Alaska courts have already ruled that Dan J. Sullivan may remain on the ballot.
- The late federal lawsuit faces the Purcell principle, which cautions against court intervention near an election.