Blanche defends lawsuit ordered by Trump over Alaska Senate election certification, citing voter confusion

Blanche explains lawsuit’s purpose

Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Blanche said the administration did not want to file the lawsuit and hoped for a resolution. He argued the case was a necessary step to avoid confusion among voters in the closely watched midterm race.

Blanche told CBS’s “Face the Nation” that the suit was meant to establish “guardrails” to preserve possible evidence of voter confusion at polling places. He said neither the administration nor Trump was trying to take over Alaska’s election.

Two candidates share a name

Republicans are concerned that another candidate named Dan Sullivan could draw votes away from the sitting senator and help Democrat Mary Peltola win. The other candidate is a retired teacher and school administrator from Petersburg, a small fishing community.

The ballot will identify the incumbent as “Dan S. Sullivan,” a registered Republican, while “Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.” will appear without a party affiliation. Trump said voters should see the senator identified as the sitting officeholder and suggested some might not understand the word “incumbent.”

Criticism and election concerns

Peltola called the lawsuit “just flagrant, flagrant corruption in my opinion” and described it as a Republican diversion tactic. Lisa Murkowski, Alaska’s other Republican senator, also criticized the case in a social media post.

Trump said Friday that he was “the one that said do it.” On Sunday, Blanche rejected a suggestion that Trump was laying the groundwork for election challenges like those that preceded the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Blanche’s ties to Trump

Blanche previously represented Trump as a personal attorney before Trump appointed him to lead the Department of Justice, which filed the Alaska lawsuit. He also defended Trump in an election interference case. That criminal prosecution ended after voters elected Trump to a second term in the White House.