A federal judge on Sunday dismissed the Trump administration’s effort to preemptively block the certification of Alaska‘s Senate election results.
The massive blow to Trump’s effort comes two days before the November 3 midterm elections.
The Justice Department had argued that Daniel J Sullivan, whom the Trump administration has dubbed ‘Decoy Dan,’ entered the race as a ‘frivolous candidate to confuse voters.’
‘Alaskan voters deserve a fair election, not to be misled in an attempt to rig outcomes,’ the DOJ had stated.
But US District Judge Sharon Gleason ruled that the Trump administration lacked standing in the lawsuit, which sought to force Alaska to segregate its ballots in the event that US Senator Dan S Sullivan, a Republican, lost his reelection bid to Democratic candidate Mary Peltola.
DOJ is now appealing the ruling, but it’s unclear that any major action will be taken before Election Day on Tuesday, November 3.
The race has gained outsized attention in recent weeks following reports that Daniel J Sullivan, a Republican whose name is nearly identical to the incumbent, may have entered the race as a spoiler candidate with the aim of splintering GOP support.
The Justice Department argued in its lawsuit that the second Sullivan’s campaign is an attempt to ‘dupe Alaska’s voters into believing that he is Senator Sullivan,’ and asked the court to segregate ballots if Peltola won. But Gleason said Sunday that the there was no way to do so without violating voters’ right to privacy and the secrecy of the ballot.
A sample election ballot is displayed in Anchorage, Alaska, showing both of the Daniel Sullivan candidates
Voters cast their ballots at a polling station at a polling site in Anchorage, Alaska. The US Senate race there has sparked a flurry of action in recent weeks centered on a second candidate with a nearly identical name as the GOP incumbent
This combination photo shows Trump-backed Republican Sen Dan Sullivan, left, in Palmer, Alaska, on August 17, 2026, and another candidate in Alaska’s Senate race named Dan Sullivan
DOJ, she said, offered ‘no workable plan’ as to how the government might segregate the ballots in question without violating voters’ fundamental privacy protections.
‘The absence of any explanation from the United States as to how its requested relief could redress its alleged injury while simultaneously maintaining the secrecy of the ballot is telling,’ Gleason said.
‘Simply, the Court cannot grant the United States the relief it seeks.’
The ruling comes as Sullivan and Peltola are currently locked in a tight race, which the Cook Political Report has ranked as a ‘toss-up.’
The results could also tilt the balance of power in Democrats’ favor in the Senate, should Peltola edge out Sullivan in his reelection bid.
Gleason denied the Trump administration from further amending its complaint to the court, noting that doing so would be futile and burdensome for election officials in the Alaska with just two days before the November 3 elections.
She also noted that any additional scrutiny into the ballots could discourage voters from participating in elections.
The dismissal comes after the judge expressed concern in court last week over the timing of the DOJ’s lawsuit, which she noted comes after Alaskans have already began voting in the midterms – and four months after Alaska’s Supreme Court green-lit Daniel J Sullivan’s inclusion on the ballot, along with several differentiating factors designed to make clear to voters which Dan Sullivan was the incumbent.
The dismissal is the latest in a series of high-profile defeats the Trump administration has seen as it has tried and failed to assert more federal control in the midterm elections.
These efforts have touched off a torrent of lawsuits from state and local election officials, who argue that the efforts illegally infringe on states’ rights, including their right to administer elections under the Voting Rights Act and the US Constitution.
But it’s not the only effort the Trump administration has launched in Alaska in a bid to investigate the so-called ‘Decoy Dan.’
Last month, the Justice Department separately launched a criminal investigation into the campaign of the ‘second’ Dan Sullivan.
The extent of that probe is unclear, though it is believed to hinge in part on allegations of conspiracy under a Voting Rights Act-era law.
Peltola’s campaign and the national Democratic Party denied any connection to Daniel J Sullivan’s candidacy.
The White House directed the Daily Mail to the DOJ for comment.
