Judge dismisses lawsuit seeking to block certification of Alaska Senate race if GOP incumbent loses

A federal judge in Juneau on Sunday dismissed a Justice Department lawsuit that sought to block certification of Alaska's U.S. Senate race if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses to Democrat Mary Peltola. U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason wrote that the relief sought by the federal government is "infeasible" because many voters have already cast their ballots and the government provided no workable plan to segregate and investigate ballots cast for a similarly named candidate without violating voter secrecy.

The lawsuit, filed less than two weeks before Tuesday's ranked-choice election, centered on the presence of retired teacher Dan J. Sullivan on the ballot. Sen. Sullivan and his allies, including President Donald Trump, have argued for months that the second Sullivan is a sham candidate intended to confuse voters and siphon votes from the incumbent. The senator told CNN on Sunday he expects to "lose a lot of votes to that trickery."

The state argued the case lacked merit and that there was no way to determine voter intent without violating privacy. Peltola's campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee called the lawsuit election interference lacking legal basis. The committee's executive director, Devan Barber, said the ruling is "a victory for democracy and a clear message to Donald Trump and Senate Republicans: No one, no matter how powerful, can toss out free and fair elections just because they don't like the result."

Shortly after the ruling, the Justice Department filed a notice of appeal. A department spokesperson said, "Alaskan voters deserve a fair election, not to be misled in an attempt to rig outcomes." The race is among a handful expected to determine which party controls the Senate for the final two years of Trump's term.

Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal