- Alaska's state government urged a federal judge to dismiss a Trump administration lawsuit aiming to block the potential certification of Democrat Mary Peltola in the state's pivotal U.S. Senate race.
- The Department of Justice requested that certification be halted and ballots for a second candidate named Dan Sullivan be separated, claiming potential voter confusion regarding Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, a request Alaska officials called disturbing and impossible.
- State officials emphasized that the ballot clearly distinguished Sen. Dan Sullivan as the incumbent Republican from the second candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., arguing that the federal government lacks grounds for intervention in state election procedures.
- The lawsuit follows a report suggesting Peltola's campaign was involved in recruiting the second candidate onto the ballot, prompting a state probe and calls from Trump to prosecute Peltola, though she has denied any involvement.
- Voting rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, aligned with Alaska officials to urge U.S. District Court Judge Sharon L. Gleason to dismiss the case, warning that federal interference in state elections threatens democratic norms.
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