Trump-ordered lawsuit in Alaska’s US Senate race gains intensity after Peltola campaign revelations

Judge says she will allow consideration of motions by third parties to dismiss case; Trump administration says it plans to seek proof of ‘sprawling conspiracy’ in wake of NYT report

Dan J. Sullivan, a candidate in Alaska's U.S. Senate race who shares a name with the incumbent seeking reelection, talks in front of a welcome sign near downtown Petersburg on July 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer, File)

By Mark Sabbatini

Juneau Independent

The case is now bigger than "United States v. State of Alaska."

A federal judge on Wednesday allowed additional parties to intervene in a lawsuit by the Trump administration that seeks to halt certification of Alaska’s U.S. Senate race if incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan narrowly loses. The intervention means the judge will consider motions during the coming days to quickly dismiss a case legal experts have called dubious.

But the ruling also came on the same day The New York Times reported the campaign for Democratic candidate Mary Peltola collaborated with party officials to recruit candidates with the same name as the incumbent. President Donald Trump, who has said he ordered the U.S. Department of Justice to file the lawsuit, on Wednesday declared on social media that Peltola should be prosecuted and removed from the race based on the story’s allegations.

The campaign tactics described in the Times story — referred to as "ballot stacking" — are common in elections and generally legal, the newspaper noted. Trump’s comments, however, also reference court documents where the Peltola campaign denies attempting to recruit namesake challenger Dan J. Sullivan into the race for the purpose of confusing voters.

Prior to the Times’ revelations, the Trump administration was opposing motions by the Peltola campaign and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee to intervene in the lawsuit. But DOJ reversed that position on Wednesday.

"Given a change in circumstances—the New York Times reporting that Proposed Intervenor Alaskans For Mary and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee orchestrated a sprawling conspiracy to recruit and prop up a sham candidate for the purpose of deceiving Alaskan voters — the United States withdraws its opposition to the Motion to Intervene," the DOJ filing notes. "The United States intends to seek expedited discovery from the Campaign regarding the reported conspiracy, including as to whether the Campaign attempted to deceive the Court by seeking an expedited ruling on a motion to dismiss when the Campaign may have been aware of the New York Times reporting before it was published."

The Peltola campaign and DSCC on Wednesday both issued denials of trying to lure Dan J. Sullivan — and other people named Dan Sullivan — into the Senate race. Dan J. Sullivan did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.

Rick Hasen, principal author of the Election Law Blog, wrote on Wednesday that the Times story, "if true, strikes me as a political bombshell." But he notes the political ramifications are separate from the legal ones.

"I don’t think it has any bearing at all on the current litigation in which the U.S. Department of Justice seeks to delay certification of the race if Dan S. Sullivan narrowly loses on grounds of purported voter confusion," Hasen wrote. "The lawsuit is not going anywhere for any number of reasons."

Judge Sharon Gleason, an appointee of President Barack Obama, on Wednesday granted the League of Women Voters of Alaska and other parties intervention status. The judge also ordered DOJ to respond to motions to dismiss the lawsuit by 5 p.m. Thursday and intervenors’ responses to DOJ’s filing are due by 5 p.m. Friday.

The election is next Tuesday and early voting has been underway since Oct 19.

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.