The Trump administration has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to prevent Alaska from certifying its US Senate election results if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses, arguing that a candidate with the same name could confuse voters.The lawsuit, filed on Thursday in federal court in Anchorage, claims Alaska would fail to protect election integrity if it certified results affected by the presence of Daniel J. Sullivan on the ballot. He is challenging Dan S. Sullivan, the Republican senator seeking re-election.Daniel J. Sullivan, who previously worked for the US Forest Service and as an elementary school teacher, filed his candidacy on May 29. His campaign website says he is running to unseat the incumbent and “put Alaska first”, using the slogan “Dan Sullivan Challenges Dan Sullivan for US Senate Seat”, as cited by Reuters.In interviews with US news outlets, he has denied that his candidacy is intended to mislead voters or draw support away from the incumbent.The lawsuit argues that the similarity between the candidates’ names could affect the election outcome. The administration is seeking to stop certification if the state determines that the results have been influenced by the presence of the second Sullivan on the ballot.The legal challenge comes as the Senate race draws attention in Alaska, a state that President Donald Trump won by about 14 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election.Recent polling has shown Democratic candidate Mary Peltola level with or slightly ahead of incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan. The race is unfolding amid voter concerns over rising diesel and petrol prices and an unpopular conflict in the Middle East, factors that have contributed to a decline in Trump’s approval ratings.The lawsuit puts the question of candidate name confusion at the centre of a closely watched Senate contest, with the outcome potentially affecting the balance of power in Congress.
