The Trump administration filed a lawsuit on Friday seeking to block certification of Alaska's U.S. Senate race if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan narrowly loses his seat to Democrat Mary Peltola, escalating a legal fight over a contest that many in both parties believe could determine control of the chamber.
The suit, brought by the Justice Department, asks a court to intervene before Alaska officials certify the results, according to reports. It targets a race that has drawn national attention as one of the closest and most consequential of the cycle, with Sullivan, the incumbent, facing a serious challenge from Peltola, a Democrat who has built a statewide profile.
The legal action reflects a broader strategy by President Donald Trump's team to contest close races in advance, and it lands in a state where election administration has its own distinct rules. Alaska uses a ranked-choice voting system for general elections, a format that can delay final results as ballots are tabulated and redistributed among candidates. That process has previously produced outcomes that shifted in the days after Election Day.
Many in both parties have said the fight for the Senate could come down to Alaska, giving the state outsize influence over the national balance of power. The lawsuit does not allege a specific outcome; instead, it seeks to prevent certification if Sullivan is defeated by a narrow margin, a preemptive move that critics are likely to characterize as an effort to undermine the vote count.
The Justice Department's involvement marks an unusual intervention in a state-level election dispute. Federal prosecutors typically do not sue to block certification of Senate races, and the filing is expected to draw immediate legal and political scrutiny. Supporters of the move have framed it as a safeguard against irregularities, though the suit as described does not detail evidence of fraud or specific errors in Alaska's count.
Alaska election officials have not commented publicly on the filing. The state's ranked-choice system, adopted by voters in 2020, has been the subject of repeated legal and political challenges, and the new suit adds another layer of uncertainty to a race already watched closely nationwide.
Sullivan, a Republican, has held the seat since 2015. Peltola, a Democrat, previously served in the U.S. House and has demonstrated appeal across party lines in Alaska, a state that has leaned Republican in recent presidential contests but has elected Democrats to statewide office. The matchup has been rated as competitive by national analysts.
The lawsuit's timing, filed as ballots are still being counted, means the dispute could stretch beyond the initial tally and into the certification process itself. Any court order blocking certification would set up a confrontation between federal and state authorities over election administration, a scenario with few recent precedents.
Both campaigns have yet to respond to the filing. The case now moves to the courts, where a judge will weigh whether to grant the relief the administration seeks before Alaska finalizes its results.