Schiff accuses DOJ of trying to 'subvert' elections as GOP alleges same-name candidate meant to confuse voters

Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., accused President Donald Trump's Justice Department of trying to subvert elections through its lawsuit over Alaska's unusual Senate ballot, even as Republicans allege Democrats have propped up a Senate candidate with the same name as the GOP nominee to confuse voters.

Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, R- Alaska, is running against Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., who has no party affiliation. State courts ultimately allowed the second Dan Sullivan to remain on the ballot. Schiff argued the Justice Department has no business stepping into a matter Alaska's courts have already settled. Republicans contend Daniel Sullivan entered the race to draw votes away from the incumbent and help former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola — a claim the now- Senate candidate and her campaign deny.

"They don't have standing to bring this kind of a suit. It's not the federal government's business to run Alaskan elections. It's Alaska's business to do that," Schiff told NBC News on Sunday.

"They have already adjudicated this question, and the Justice Department knows this, but it just shows how complicit they are now in the Trump campaign to try to subvert the elections."

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Schiff has long been one of Trump's most prominent adversaries, serving as the lead House impeachment manager during Trump's first impeachment trial and later sitting on the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. The Burbank Democrat has repeatedly accused Trump of undermining democratic institutions and election integrity, making his attack on the Justice Department the latest volley in a yearslong political and legal feud.

Schiff drew a comparison to Trump's efforts to challenge the 2020 presidential election, arguing that senior Justice Department officials at the time, including Attorney General William Barr refused to support efforts to overturn the results — while accusing current DOJ leadership of being willing to go further.

"This time, with [Attorney General Todd] Blanche, they are all in on this disgraceful campaign," Schiff said, predicting the case in the Last Frontier has "no chance of succeeding."

The allegations come as candidate Dan J. Sullivan of Petersburg received enough votes in Alaska’s unique primary system to appear beside Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, R-Alaska, on the general election ballot — along with Democratic challenger and former Rep. Mary Peltola.

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State election officials initially disqualified the Petersburg Sullivan after raising concerns that his candidacy was intended to confuse voters, citing his requested ballot name, recent party registration and similarities between campaign materials.

An Alaska Superior Court judge overturned the state's decision to disqualify Petersburg Sullivan, allowing the namesake candidate to remain on the ballot despite election officials' concerns about voter deception. The Alaska Supreme Court subsequently upheld that ruling, resolving the state ballot-access dispute, though DOJ is now pursuing a separate federal challenge in the event Petersburg Sullivan's candidacy could alter the election's outcome.

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Blanche’s DOJ filed suit last week after the state proceedings concluded, arguing that the namesake candidacy could mislead voters and seeking to delay certification if votes for Petersburg Sullivan could affect the result.

The department's complaint, however, asks the court to prevent certification under a specific scenario: if incumbent Senator Sullivan loses but would have won had votes cast for Petersburg Sullivan gone to him instead. DOJ seeks to delay certification in that circumstance pending an investigation into whether voters intended to support the incumbent.

Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the lawsuit Sunday, citing federal election law, while Schiff argued that the state had already adjudicated the dispute.

"The sole purpose of his candidacy is to benefit the Peltola campaign by reducing the number of votes for Senator Sullivan," DOJ’s filing read in part, while also citing a letter from Alaska Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher alleging Petersburg Sullivan’s declaration of candidacy was not properly filed because it was not intended to declare an actual good-faith candidacy.

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The filing also included a side-by-side comparison of Petersburg Sullivan’s dark blue campaign banner featuring a star and Senator Sullivan’s campaign banner featuring the Big Dipper — a reference to the constellation depicted on Alaska’s flag.

When reached for comment, the DOJ provided Blanche’s defense of the suit, which highlighted that the agency does "not seek to stop any ballot from being cast or to stop the certification of Alaska's election."

"This litigation seeks to ensure that after Alaskans cast their ballots, they are preserved in a manner so that only Alaska's governing officials have the information necessary to make a determination as to whether Alaskan voters were confused or mislead," Blanche said.

"The lawsuit was written by Justice Department attorneys and the Department did not coordinate with any campaign or candidate, but rather relied solely on federal law."

The case cited the National Voter Registration Act, which expressly identifies protecting election integrity as one of its purposes.

When asked about the accusation from Schiff, the White House provided recent comments from Trump saying he "recommended" DOJ file the suit and that Petersburg Sullivan was put "up as a matter of confusion."

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"I think it's a disgrace," Trump said.

Peltola placed first in the August primary, followed by Senator Sullivan and Petersburg Sullivan. Palmer drywall contractor Gerald Heikes, a Republican, will appear as the fourth candidate on the ballot after a Democrat who placed ahead of him withdrew.