Find articles

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) on Sunday said it was "appropriate to take a look at" the outcome of the Alaska Senate race with two candidates with similar names on the ballot, which prompted a Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuit. "Alaska has a candidate who just coincidentally happens to be the same name as my friend...

The Justice Department filed a lawsuit last week to preemptively challenge the certification of Alaska's Senate race if the Republican incumbent, Sen. Dan Sullivan, loses.

Alaska Senate candidate Mary Peltola (D) responded to the Justice Department's (DOJ) lawsuit seeking to block her state from certifying its election results should her Republican challenger lose, saying Friday the move was "frivolous." “This is clearly corruption. This is clearly a very desperate attempt to cling to power, using his allies in Washington, D.C....

"Balance of Power" focuses on the intersection of politics and global business. On today's show, Gen. Ben Hodges (Ret.) says restrictions on Starlink service have dealt a significant blow to Ukraine's counter-drone capabilities and disrupted an early-warning system for incoming ballistic missiles. Carlos Gutierrez, former Commerce Secretary and CEO of Kellogg and author of Sheer Will, says trade under the Trump administration has become all-encompassing and can be used as part of geopolitical and political negotiations beyond trade itself. (Source: Bloomberg)

The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit calling on the courts to block the certification of Alaska's Senate race if the Democratic candidate wins.

The Justice Department on Friday filed a lawsuit to block the results of Alaska’s highly competitive Senate race in November should it be impacted by “voter confusion.” Republicans have said they are worried about the race, which features Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Democrat Mary Peltola as the primary contenders, because of the presence of […]

The Trump administration sued Alaska on Thursday to delay certification of election results if incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses. Why it matters: The race between incumbent Sullivan, Democrat Mary Peltola , and retired teacher Dan Sullivan has been marked by controversy, with Republicans accusing Democrats of trying to confuse voters by planting a candidate with the same name. Alaska's use of ranked-choice voting, which eliminates candidates in rounds if no one gets 50% of the initial vote, complicates matters. "An election result may be impacted by voter confusion if: (1) Senator Sullivan does not win the election; and (2) had all votes cast for Daniel J. Sullivan been cast instead for Senator Sullivan and Alaska's rank-choice process played out accordingly, Senator Sullivan would have won the election," the lawsuit , filed in Alaska District Court, states. Zoom in: Because of a previous Alaska Supreme Court decision and Sullivan's name already being on the ballot, the administration contended in the lawsuit that the only means to ensure that the winner of the race is voters' choice "is to ensure that the certification is not impacted" by his candidacy. The lawsuit requests a delay in certification until after an investigation determines "whether votes cast for Daniel J. Sullivan were meant to be cast for Senator Sullivan." What they're saying: "Alaska's Division of Elections determined that Mr. Daniel J. Sullivan's candidacy was intended to mislead voters and compromise the fairness of the ballot," a DOJ spokesperson said in a statement. "Therefore, the Justice Department, consistent with the National Voter Registration Act enacted by Congress, is taking the necessary steps to ensure that this frivolous candidacy does not undermine the integrity of Alaska's election or the will of its voters." The White House referred Axios to the DOJ. Catch up quick: The retired teacher Sullivan will appear on the ballot as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. after the state's Supreme Court ordered the state's Division of Elections to include him in the race in June. Senator Sullivan will appear as "Sullivan, Dan S. (Registered Republican) Incumbent," per the state's sample ballots. Sullivan has argued his candidacy is not a sham, and Peltola's campaign has denied any involvement with his run. The intrigue: The race is among those being closely watched as Democrats appear to be making inroads in red territory . The administration acknowledged the tight race in its lawsuit, saying "there is a realistic chance" that the non-incumbent Sullivan's presence on the ballot could tip the scales for Peltola. Flashback: In the primary, Senator Sullivan collected around 41% of the vote, versus Sullivan's 2.5%. Peltola earned 49.5% Cook Political Report currently rates the race as a toss-up. Go deeper: Scoop: NRSC pleads for $9M to defend three red seats Editor's note: This story has been updated with a statement from the Department of Justice.

The Trump administration has preemptively filed a lawsuit to block the certification of the Alaska Senate race, citing name confusion among the candidates.

The Trump administration has filed a lawsuit to preemptively block certification of the Senate race in Alaska if the Republican incumbent loses while another candidate with the same name is on the ballot.

This move has sparked concerns about a lengthy battle between the U.S. government and states over election certification.