Mary Peltola’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee have asked a federal court to let them join the fight over the Justice Department’s lawsuit in Alaska, a suit that would stop the state from certifying its Senate race if Sen. Dan Sullivan loses.
Alaskans for Mary and the DSCC filed their motion to intervene overnight, according to Democracy Docket. In the filing, the groups called the department’s move an “extraordinary assault” on democracy and “insulting” to the people of Alaska.
“In an unprecedented pre-emptive strike on democratic elections, the Department of Justice—acting on the President’s personal orders—demands that this Court enjoin the certification of the ongoing U.S. Senate election, but only if the President’s preferred candidate loses,”
The Justice Department sued Alaska on Oct. 22. It wants certification blocked if votes for Daniel J. Sullivan, another candidate on the ballot, could have changed the result. The department says Daniel J. Sullivan’s candidacy was meant to mislead voters who meant to back the senator.
President Donald Trump said Friday that he ordered the suit. “I’m the one that said ‘do it,’” he told reporters.
Two Alaska voters, the League of Women Voters of Alaska and Common Cause have also asked to intervene as defendants, Democracy Docket’s case page says. The court has not ruled on the motions.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, criticized the suit on social media. “The Department of Justice should never have filed this lawsuit,” Murkowski wrote, adding that Alaskans do not need help voting for their preferred candidates and that the state has already handled the ballot by distinguishing the two Sullivans clearly.
Peltola, a former Democratic congresswoman, wrote on X that the suit is “the corruption AK is fed up with.” She said Sullivan is using allies in Washington to try to stay in power.
Alaska sends the top four primary finishers to the general election, and the winner is picked by ranked-choice voting. The ballot lists Sen. Sullivan as the Republican incumbent. Daniel J. Sullivan, a retired teacher from Petersburg, is listed with no party label. The Alaska Supreme Court kept him on the ballot after election officials tried to remove him.
Early voting is already under way. The election is Nov. 3.
Also Read: DOJ Sues to Block Alaska Senate Certification if Sullivan Loses
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