Federal Judge Rejects Trump Administration Bid to Preempt Alaska Senate Recount if Sullivan Loses
A federal judge on Sunday, November 1, 2026, dismissed the Trump administration’s attempt to delay Alaska’s Senate election results if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses, dealing a blow to efforts to preempt a recount in the closely watched race. The ruling, issued by U.S. District Judge Gleason, found that the federal government lacked standing to bring the suit because its alleged injury was not redressable. The administration had sought to block certification of the election while keeping ballot secrecy intact, a position the judge found untenable.
The case stems from an unusual situation in Alaska’s open primary, where a retired teacher named Daniel J. Sullivan also appeared on the ballot. The senator’s campaign has maintained that the teacher was recruited as a decoy candidate. State courts, including the Alaska Supreme Court, had already rejected a Republican-backed effort to remove the teacher from the August primary ballot. Despite garnering only about 5% of the vote, the teacher finished within the top four and qualified for the November ballot, alongside former state Rep. Mary Peltola, who placed first, and the senator. Alaska officials said the state had taken “significant steps” to distinguish the two Sullivans on the ballot, including clear labeling.
In her ruling, Judge Gleason, nominated to the bench by former President Barack Obama, wrote: “The absence of any explanation from the United States as to how its requested relief could redress its alleged injury while simultaneously maintaining the secrecy of the ballot is telling.” The decision underscores a fundamental flaw in the administration’s argument: it could not demonstrate how delaying the results would remedy its claimed harm without compromising ballot confidentiality. Carl Tobias, the Williams Chair in Law at the University of Richmond School of Law, told Newsweek on Sunday that the most significant part of the ruling was Gleason’s finding that the federal government lacked standing because its alleged injury was not redressable. “This is a key procedural victory for the state and for the integrity of the election process,” Tobias said.
The ruling clears the way for Alaska to proceed with its ranked-choice voting tabulation, which could become crucial if the race between Sullivan and Peltola is close. Under Alaska’s system, if
Shimanta Das 
