The Department of Justice filed an extraordinary lawsuit seeking to block Alaska from certifying the winner of its upcoming U.S. Senate election if incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses.
The lawsuit cites what it suggests is likely voter confusion from having another candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan, on the ballot and the chance that confusion could help Democratic nominee Mary Peltola defeat the incumbent Sullivan in what is expected to be a close contest.
The suit asks a federal judge in Alaska to bar the state from certifying "any result that may be impacted by voter confusion ... pending an investigation to determine whether votes cast for Daniel J. Sullivan were meant to be cast for Senator Sullivan."
The suit alleges that Daniel J. Sullivan's "sole purpose" of running for the Senate "is to benefit the Peltola campaign by reducing the number of votes for Senator Sullivan."
The Alaska race is one of several Senate contests in November that could determine whether Republicans retain their slim majority in the upper chamber of Congress.