Legal expert calls out Trump’s threat to delegitimize Alaska senate vote

A legal expert says a lawsuit by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) doesn’t hold up and threatens to delegitimize the results if Republican incumbent Dan S. Sullivan loses November’s Senate race in Alaska.

“I see no possibility of any literate voter being unable to distinguish the two Daniel Sullivans on the ballot,” Emily L. Waters, a professor at the University of Alaska Anchorage, told Global News.

On Thursday, the DOJ filed a lawsuit to block Alaska from certifying its Senate election results if Sullivan, the incumbent, doesn’t win.

President Donald Trump said he ordered the lawsuit because there will be two Dan Sullivans on the ballot.

Both identify themselves as Republicans.

“They have two guys named Dan Sullivan running,” Trump said. “So the Democrats put up a guy, I don’t think he ever voted before. All of a sudden he decides to run for the Senate and his name is Dan Sullivan.”

In the court filings, the DOJ claims the second candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan, is running with the intention of misleading and confusing voters to benefit Democratic rival Mary Peltola.

The documents further argue that, should the incumbent Sullivan lose, certifying the results would compromise the integrity of the election.

The Alaska Supreme Court previously ruled that both names could stay on the ballot.

Even if the second Sullivan was running to misdirect voters, Waters said that does not justify a legal battle.

“Judge Zeman addressed this previously in state court and said there’s no problem if somebody enters a race to harass or distract, as long as they follow procedures, their motivations for being on the ballot are irrelevant.”

She added that credit needs to be given to the voter to be able to distinguish between the candidates.

In a statement on social media, Peltola said the lawsuit represents the “corruption [Alaska] is fed up with.”

“Sullivan has enriched himself at our expense for 12 years,” she said. “Now he’s using his DC allies to try to keep himself in power and put his own interests ahead of Alaskans.”

If Peltola wins the race in Alaska, it will give Democrats one out of four seats needed to gain control of the Senate.

– With files from Global News’ Candice Cole