A person takes a video as Democratic US Senate candidate Mary Peltola answers questions after an appearance at the Alaska Federation of Natives Convention in Anchorage, Alaska, US, October 23, 2026.
ROCK HILL, South Carolina--President Donald Trump's administration filed a revised lawsuit on Thursday seeking to block Alaska's election results if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses narrowly and issued more than 40 subpoenas and document requests in its probe, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The revised complaint by the US Justice Department cited a New York Times report that Democratic operatives recruited another candidate named Sullivan who could siphon votes from the incumbent. The Justice Department said the effort was intended to mislead voters and help elect Democratic candidate Mary Peltola.
The suit raises the prospect of a messy fight over a contest that could determine US Senate control in next Tuesday's midterm elections. Republicans hold a 53-47 majority, while Democrats need a net gain of four seats.
Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy also called for a state investigation into the allegations. “They orchestrated his sham campaign for the purpose of misleading Alaskan voters and getting Peltola elected,” lawyers for the Justice Department wrote in their amended complaint.
Peltola’s former campaign manager, Elisa Rios, who was fired in August, told the Times that Peltola was aware of the effort. Peltola's campaign, which did not immediately respond to the amended complaint. Reuters has not independently verified the Times report.
The Times reported on Wednesday that Peltola aides worked with campaign lawyers and staff at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee to recruit two candidates who could siphon votes from the incumbent Republican Sullivan, including a retired teacher named Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., who is on the ballot without a party affiliation.
The DSCC also denied involvement and accused Republicans of propping up candidates of their own in other races.
Trump, who for years has sowed doubts about the fairness of US elections, had pushed the Justice Department to bring the Alaska case even before the Times report, seeking to preemptively block Alaska from certifying Peltola, a former congresswoman, if she were to win the election. Trump told reporters earlier on Thursday: "It's hard to believe that she could even be allowed to run. Frankly, I don't know how you can allow somebody like that to run. It's so unfair.”
Jessica Levinson, a professor who specializes in election law at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, said that as long as Daniel J. Sullivan, the challenger to the incumbent, didn’t conceal financial support, his campaign likely didn’t break any laws and political parties are allowed to mislead the public.
