Alaska Seeks Dismissal of DOJ Lawsuit Over Senate Race While Trump Hosts Telerallies

The Alaska Attorney General's Office filed a motion Saturday to dismiss the Justice Department's lawsuit trying to stop certification of a potential Democratic Senate win over the candidacy of independent Daniel J. Sullivan, who shares a name with incumbent GOP Senator Dan Sullivan. The DOJ's lawsuit claims the second Sullivan's candidacy breaks the National Voter Registration Act and argues voter confusion could throw the election. The state countered that the lawsuit has no legal basis and that Alaska officials carefully designed the ballot to minimize voter confusion while protecting ballot secrecy. U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason set a Saturday deadline for arguments on dismissing the case. Background reports indicate people linked to Democratic candidate Mary Peltola helped recruit the second Sullivan, though Peltola denied any knowledge of the scheme. In June, state election officials tried to block the second Sullivan from the ballot, but the Alaska Supreme Court later overturned that decision. The DOJ also launched a separate criminal investigation into the race with multiple subpoenas. Meanwhile, President Trump announced on TruthSocial that he is hosting telerallies for Republican candidates in Ohio and Pennsylvania. In Ohio, he is backing gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, Senator Jon Husted, Representative Mike Carey, and congressional candidates Eric Conroy and Derek Merrin. In Pennsylvania, he endorsed Stacy Garrity for governor alongside Representatives Ryan Mackenzie, Rob Bresnahan, Scott Perry, and Lloyd Smucker. These events are part of a series of six national telerallies. In Texas, Senator Ted Cruz warned on his Verdict podcast Friday that Republicans risk losing both congressional chambers and facing a total wipeout due to massive early Democratic turnout. Cruz urged conservative voters to show up on Tuesday to prevent a historic sweep. Texas Senate hopeful James Talarico campaigned in Houston with Texas gubernatorial nominee Gina Hinojosa at the Bayou Music Hall, while Republican nominee Ken Paxton pushed his statewide bus tour in Houston.

Context

These events unfold in the final days before the November midterm elections as candidates make their closing arguments nationwide. Legal challenges over ballot access and high-stakes get-out-the-vote efforts typically intensify during the closing weekend of a major election cycle.