U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, a Republican, and former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, a Democrat, are running for U.S. Senate from Alaska.
Kent Nishimura | Jabin Botsford | The Washington Post | Getty Images
An Alaska federal judge on Friday continued his expedited effort to dismiss a Justice Department lawsuit seeking to delay certification of the state’s U.S. Senate election because of possible voter confusion over two Dan Sullivans on the ballot.
Judge Sharon Gleason ordered the Justice Department to respond by 1 p.m. Alaska time Friday to the new dismissal motions, which were filed hours after the department amended its complaint in U.S. District Court in Anchorage on Thursday.
Gleason gave state election officials, Democratic candidate Mary Peltola’s campaign and other groups until noon Saturday to respond to the DOJ’s response.
The DOJ’s lawsuit seeks to delay certification of the Senate election if Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan loses by a margin that could be attributable to voter confusion over the presence of another candidate with his name on the ballot.
The judge’s order leaves open the possibility that she will rule on the motions to dismiss before Tuesday, Election Day.
The state and Peltola’s campaign asked Gleason to dismiss the case before then, arguing that the DOJ has no legal authority to block certification of an election because the candidates on a ballot share the same name.
The winner of the Alaska race could determine which party holds the majority in the Senate in January. Republicans currently have 53 seats in the 100-member House.
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