Federal Judge Dismisses Justice Department Bid to Block Alaska Senate Candidate Over Name Confusion

A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit from the Department of Justice that sought to preemptively block Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola from assuming office if she wins her race in Alaska. The government argued that an alleged scheme to recruit independent candidate Daniel J. Sullivan, who shares a name with incumbent Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, would confuse voters.

Peltola's campaign, the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee and civic groups including the League of Women Voters of Alaska and Common Cause moved to dismiss the case. They argued the federal government lacks standing and constitutional authority, and that there is no lawful way to tell whether a voter picked the wrong Sullivan without violating the secret ballot. U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason agreed, noting the United States had not explained how its requested relief could address its alleged injury while keeping ballots secret. She said the government failed to establish the redressability requirement for Article III standing.

The ruling also recounts that Alaska's elections director decertified Daniel J. Sullivan's candidacy in June, but state courts restored it and the Alaska Supreme Court upheld that decision. Officials still listed full names and labelled the candidates "Incumbent," "Republican candidate" and "Independent." Alaska's ranked-choice system also lets voters rank both Sullivans. Nearly 60,000 voters have already cast early or mail ballots, and officials say there is no feasible way to reissue them.