The story so far
written Oct 29What is happening
Control of a U.S. Senate seat and the validity of state certification procedures depend on a federal court challenge to Alaska's election process 3. Alaska election officials asked a federal judge on Oct. 27 to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice 1. The state argued the federal challenge has no legal basis 2.
The Department of Justice sued on Oct. 23 to block the state from certifying the U.S. Senate race if the Republican candidate loses 3. This year's Senate race is the most expensive in Alaska history 4. Political action committees have spent tens of millions of dollars on the contest 5.
What to watch
A ruling from the federal court would determine if the certification process can proceed as scheduled. The Governor’s office releasing the official investigation report would provide the executive branch's findings on the matter.
A state court issuing a ruling on any legal challenges to the Senate ballot would address local statutory disputes. The Alaska Division of Elections certifying the final Senate election results would conclude the state-level process. Any appellate court decision confirming or overturning the lower court ruling would establish the final legal standing for the certification.
Read the full brief · how we got here
How we got here
The Alaska Division of Elections removed a candidate from the ballot on June 15 7. Election officials finalized the removal of the candidate, whom some referred to as a decoy, later that month 9. The litigation follows these changes to the candidate list for the 2026 race 7.
Preliminary results from the Alaska primary election were released on Aug. 19 6. The current legal dispute centers on whether the federal government can prevent the state from finalizing the results of the general election 3.
References · 8
- 1adn.com — Alaska election officials ask federal judge to toss Trump-ordered ...
- 2alaskapublic.org — State of Alaska says DOJ lawsuit over Senate race 'has no legal basis'
- 3usatoday.com — DOJ sues to block Alaska from certifying Senate race if Republican loses
- 4adn.com — Alaska's U.S. Senate race is the most expensive in state history
- 5adn.com — PACs pour tens of millions into Alaska's congressional races, with ...
- 6adn.com — Results from Alaska's 2026 primary election - Anchorage Daily News
- 7alaskawatchman.com — Alaska Division of Elections removes 'Daniel J. Sullivan' from U.S ...
- 9thealaskastory.com — It's official: Division of Elections finalizes booting 'Decoy Dan' from ...
What would close this
0 of 4 metTimeline
1newest firstWhen we started following: Alaska election officials ask federal judge to dismiss Department of Justice lawsuit over Senate race certification
Alaska election officials asked a federal judge on Oct. 27 to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice 1. The state argued the federal challenge has no legal basis 2. The Department of Justice sued on Oct. 23 to block the state from certifying the U.S. Senate race if the Republican candidate loses 3.
This year's Senate race is the most expensive in Alaska history 4. Political action committees have spent tens of millions of dollars on the contest 5. The litigation follows the June 15 removal of a candidate from the ballot by the Alaska Division of Elections 7. A ruling from the federal court would determine if the certification process can proceed as scheduled.