DOJ sues to block Alaska Senate certification if Sen. Dan Sullivan loses
The Justice Department filed suit against Alaska election officials over the Senate race between Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola.
Both sides 7 sources
Alaska Senate race dispute
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What's happening
The Justice Department has sued in federal court in Anchorage over Alaska's U.S. Senate race, seeking to block certification of the result if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan does not win.(source: Oct 23: DOJ sues to block Alaska Senate certification if Sen. Dan Sullivan loses) The filing cites the presence on the ballot of Daniel J. Sullivan, another Republican candidate with a similar name, and asks the court to hold certification pending an investigation into whether votes for Daniel J. Sullivan were meant for Sen. Sullivan.(source: Oct 23: DOJ sues to block Alaska Senate certification if Sen. Dan Sullivan loses)
How we got here
- The Justice Department filed a lawsuit in federal court in Anchorage over the Senate race between Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola, seeking to block certification if Sen. Sullivan does not win.(source: Oct 23: DOJ sues to block Alaska Senate certification if Sen. Dan Sullivan loses)
- Alaska elections director Carol Beecher found in June that Daniel J. Sullivan filed to confuse or mislead voters.(source: Oct 23: DOJ sues to block Alaska Senate certification if Sen. Dan Sullivan loses)
- Peltola and her family suffered minor injuries in a car crash on Saturday while driving to the Alaska Federation of Natives annual banquet, her campaign said, and campaign manager Cheryl Bruce said events in Fairbanks and Bethel would be rescheduled.(source: Oct 25: Peltola reschedules campaign stops after car crash)
- The New York Times reported that aides to Peltola's campaign were directed to search state voter rolls for Alaskans named Dan Sullivan, and that retired teacher Dan J. Sullivan of Petersburg registered as a Republican and filed for the Senate race before the deadline.(source: Oct 28: Report: Peltola Campaign Aides Sought Voters Named Dan Sullivan in Alaska Senate Race)
- Former campaign manager Elisa Rios told the New York Times that Peltola was 'definitely aware' of the recruitment effort, then later retracted her statements, and Sen. Dan Sullivan said in May that the candidacy was a Democratic effort to 'cheat.'(source: Oct 28: Report: Peltola Campaign Aides Sought Voters Named Dan Sullivan in Alaska Senate Race)
Summary of our earlier coverage: every sentence links to the stories it comes from, numbered as in the timeline below.
Timeline
Oldest firstPeltola reschedules campaign stops after car crash
Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola and her family suffered minor injuries in a car crash while driving to a campaign stop, her campaign said.
Both sides 7 sourcesReport: Peltola Campaign Aides Sought Voters Named Dan Sullivan in Alaska Senate Race
The New York Times reported that aides to Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola searched for people named Dan Sullivan to recruit as candidates against Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan.
Mostly right · 100% 4 sources
How each side's framing changed
Each side's frame, story by story| Side | 1DOJ sues to block Alaska Senate certification if Sen. Dan Sullivan loses | 2Peltola reschedules campaign stops after car crash | 3Report: Peltola Campaign Aides Sought Voters Named Dan Sullivan in Alaska Senate Race |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conspiracy left | No coverage | No coverage | No coverage |
| Far left | Calls the DOJ suit a move to torpedo the resultRaw Story | No coverage | No coverage |
| Left | Says the DOJ seeks to block certification unless Sullivan winsNBC News (Politics) | Says Peltola and family suffered minor injuriesThe Guardian US (Politics) | No coverage |
| Right | Says the DOJ sued over a same-name challengerThe Daily Caller | No coverage | Says Peltola allies recruited a spoiler Dan SullivanFox News (Politics) |
| Far right | Calls the decoy a Democratic dirty trickThe Gateway Pundit | Says Peltola injured in car crashThe Gateway Pundit | Calls the Peltola campaign's denials hard to believeTheBlaze |
| Conspiracy right | No coverage | No coverage | Claims operatives hunted Dan Sullivans to confuse votersZeroHedge |
| Readers | Readers: no picks yet | Readers: no picks yet | Readers: no picks yet |
Debate questions over time
Should a court block Alaska from certifying its Senate result if Sen. Dan Sullivan loses?
Join the debate on DOJ sues to block Alaska Senate certification if Sen. Dan Sullivan losesShould Peltola resume campaign events before the crash investigation concludes?
Join the debate on Peltola reschedules campaign stops after car crashShould Alaska change its election rules to prevent candidates with the same name from appearing on the ballot?
Join the debate on Report: Peltola Campaign Aides Sought Voters Named Dan Sullivan in Alaska Senate Race