Trump administration sues to pause Alaska Senate results over 'spoiler' candidate

The practice of placing a candidate with the same name as an incumbent on the ballot to split votes has a long history in American politics. President Donald Trump's administration is now using federal courts to challenge that tradition in the state of Alaska.

The White House is investigating Mary Peltola, the Democrat challenging Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. The administration believes Peltola's campaign recruited a retired school teacher named Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. for the race. The goal, according to the Justice Department, was to confuse voters on the final ballot.

Alaska uses a ranked-choice voting system. In this system, the top four candidates from the primary advance to the general election in November. Voters can rank their choices in order of preference. A $100 filing fee allows any candidate to enter the primary, a low barrier that critics say makes the system vulnerable to manipulation.

The New York Times reported that internal texts showed the Peltola campaign recruited the second Sullivan. The report said a Democratic strategist from outside Alaska was paid by a political organization backing Peltola to make the recruitment. Peltola announced her Senate run in January 2026. She and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee have both denied involvement in the scheme.

Last week, the Trump administration filed a lawsuit to prevent the certification of a potential Peltola victory. The suit seeks to hold the results pending a criminal investigation. The Justice Department issued subpoenas as part of that probe. Peltola was the state's sole House member before running for Senate.

Critics argue the move marks a shift in how the Justice Department operates during election cycles. The department has historically avoided overt investigative actions within 60 days of an election. In recent weeks, however, it has increased activity in politically sensitive matters, including a search of the home of Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar.

A Justice Department statement said the agency is following the facts and the law, not anyone's political timetable. Justin Levitt, a law professor at Loyola Marymount University who served as a Justice official during the Biden administration, disputed that view. He said the recruitment of spoiler candidates is common and that no disclosed behavior violates federal law.

Trump's own political allies have used similar tactics in other states. In Ohio, a group tied to the president is urging voters to support a socialist candidate to pull votes from the Democrat. In Nevada, a Republican-linked operation is boosting an independent candidate named Danielle Ford, who shares a last name with the Democratic challenger to the state's governor. In the 2020 presidential race, Trump allies attempted to recruit Kanye West as a third-party candidate.

Jason Torchinsky, a former Justice Department official and campaign finance attorney, said the Times story points to possible crimes involving the financing of the second Sullivan's run. He described the situation as Exhibit A for how ranked-choice systems can be manipulated. Defenders of the system argue it is harder to manipulate because voters can rank both Sullivans and leave Peltola off their ballots.

Sullivan's campaign is urging Alaskans to follow that strategy. David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, expects a judge to soon reject the Justice Department's lawsuit. He called the suit frivolous. In Florida in 2020, a similar tactic resulted in the conviction of a former state senator who helped recruit a candidate with the same name as a Democrat. The Democrat lost the seat by 32 votes.

The Alaska race could determine control of the U.S. Senate. The state has three other challengers on the ballot besides Peltola and the two Sullivans. Republicans have long suspected the second Sullivan of being a Democratic plant. The current investigation puts that long-held suspicion under federal scrutiny.