U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason dismissed the Justice Department’s lawsuit over Alaska election results on Sunday, ending its bid to delay certification of the Alaska Senate race. The ruling came two days before the midterm elections and put the dispute on appeal.
Gleason said the government had not shown how the requested investigation could identify voters’ intent while protecting ballot secrecy. She also said the relief sought would intrude on Alaska’s responsibility to run its elections.
Dan S. Sullivan and Daniel J
The case centers on Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan and challenger Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., whose similar names sit at the heart of the Decoy Dan dispute. The Justice Department sought to delay or block certification while it examined whether voter confusion may have affected the outcome.
Dan S. Sullivan said Sunday he would accept the results of Tuesday’s election. That public stance came as the Trump administration pursued a criminal investigation into Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.’s candidacy, adding another layer to a race already under close scrutiny.
Ranked-choice voting in Alaska
Alaska uses ranked-choice voting, which means a first count does not necessarily settle the race if no candidate wins a majority. Under that system, the last-place candidate is eliminated and voters’ next choices are counted.
That structure gives certification disputes added weight when the margin is tight, because the final result can depend on how transferred votes are counted after the first round. The question in this race is whether the disputed candidacy changed voter intent enough to affect the result.
9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
The Justice Department said it would appeal, sending the case to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The ruling leaves Alaska’s certification process in state hands for now, while the two campaigns and election officials wait for the next court decision.
The dispute also sits alongside separate political claims involving Mary Peltola, whom reported was linked through people connected to her campaign to the recruitment of Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.; she has denied involvement, and he has denied coordinating with her campaign. Whether the alleged Sullivan scheme actually affected voter intent or the election outcome remains unresolved.
