DOJ Sues to Stop Alaska From Certifying Senate Results If Sen. Dan Sullivan Loses to the Other Dan Sullivan
The Justice Department says a same-named challenger entered the race to confuse voters and help Democrat Mary Peltola. It argues Alaska would fail to protect its election if it certified results tainted by his candidacy.
The Justice Department sued Alaska on Friday, asking a court to block the state from certifying its U.S. Senate results if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses because of a challenger with the same name, the Daily Caller reports.
The other Sullivan. A second Dan Sullivan entered the race in June. The Caller says that raised speculation he ran on purpose to confuse voters and help former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola, Sen. Sullivan's opponent. The lawsuit says Daniel J. Sullivan ran "with the intention of misleading supporters of Senator Sullivan into voting for him" and that "the sole purpose of his candidacy is to benefit the Peltola campaign."
The state's own finding. Alaska's Division of Elections Director, Carol Beecher, told the challenger in an Aug. 26 letter that his declaration of candidacy "was not filed in order to declare an actual good-faith candidacy." The DOJ cites her finding that the run was "for the purpose of confusing or misleading voters and compromising the fairness of the ballot." The Caller says a Superior Court judge ruled he could stay on the primary ballot after he appealed, and the Alaska Supreme Court later allowed him to remain on the ballot.
What the DOJ wants. The suit says that if Alaska certifies results "tainted by the inclusion on the ballot" of the other Sullivan, the state and its officers "will fail in its obligation to protect the integrity of its election." Alaska uses ranked-choice voting, which the Caller says could add to voter confusion.
Background the Caller reports. Democratic strategist Amber Lee wrote the other Sullivan's June 4 campaign press release, according to campaign metadata the Caller reviewed. Lee has publicly backed Peltola. The other Sullivan is a retired schoolteacher from Petersburg who has given $650 to Democrats nationwide, including Peltola, per FEC records. Peltola visited his hometown on May 28, days before he filed, according to the Anchorage Daily News.
Note for readers: the claims about intent come from the DOJ's lawsuit and the Caller's reporting. The Caller's text includes no response from the Peltola campaign, the other Sullivan or Alaska officials, and a court has not ruled on the suit.