Federal Judge Dismisses Justice Department Lawsuit Seeking to Block Certification of Alaska's Senate Race
A federal judge has dismissed a Justice Department lawsuit that sought to block certification of Alaska's U.S. Senate race if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses on Tuesday, in one of the handful of races expected to decide control of the Senate.
A federal judge has dismissed a Justice Department lawsuit seeking to block certification of Alaska's U.S. Senate race if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses, the Associated Press reported Sunday. The race is among the country's most closely watched this cycle and is one of a handful expected to determine control of the Senate.
Sullivan's main challenger in Tuesday's ranked-choice general election is Democratic former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola. The race also includes two other candidates who have done almost no campaigning, one of whom shares the incumbent's name. The Justice Department's lawsuit called for an investigation into whether votes cast for the other Sullivan were intended for the senator.
Attorneys for the state of Alaska and for Peltola said the lawsuit lacked any legal basis, according to the AP report. The dismissal removes, two days before Election Day, a federal attempt to hold up certification of a Senate result in a state whose race could decide which party controls the chamber when the new Congress convenes.
