The Aporia · Trump ask to set aside ‘Decoy Dan’ Alaska Senate ballots ‘not even possible’: attorneys

Trump ask to set aside ‘Decoy Dan’ Alaska Senate ballots ‘not even possible’: attorneys

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Associated Press. (2026, October 31). Trump ask to set aside ‘Decoy Dan’ Alaska Senate ballots ‘not even possible’: attorneys. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/10/31/us-news/trump-ask-to-set-aside-decoy-dan-alaska-senate-ballots-not-even-possible/

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Quick Summary

President Donald Trump directed a lawsuit against Alaska's Senate race, aiming to prevent the certification of a potential Democratic victory by Mary Peltola. The lawsuit, criticized by experts and dismissed as meritless by Alaska’s attorney general, demands separating ballots that might have been mistakenly cast for a second candidate named Daniel J. Sullivan rather than incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. On October 31, 2026, the state urged a federal judge to dismiss the case, arguing it would be impossible and a violation of voter privacy to separate these votes as requested by Trump’s complaint.

Written by AI on 2026-11-01, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On October 30, 2026, the United States Department of Justice filed an amended lawsuit aiming to block the certification of election results if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan narrowly loses his Senate race in Alaska. This came just days before the November 3 midterm elections. The lawsuit alleges that Democratic operatives recruited a spoiler candidate to siphon votes from Sullivan.

Alaska’s Republican-run state government, however, urged a federal judge on October 31 to dismiss this lawsuit as "meritless," stating it is not legally possible and would violate voter privacy if enacted. On November 1, a federal judge dismissed the Justice Department's lawsuit, rejecting Trump administration’s bid two days before the midterm elections.

The DOJ announced they would appeal the decision shortly after its dismissal. The case centers on the presence of Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired teacher who ran in the primary election under no party affiliation, alongside incumbent Senator Dan S. Sullivan. This has been labeled by opponents as an attempt to confuse voters and affect the outcome of the Senate race between Republican Dan Sullivan and Democratic candidate Mary Peltola.

Written for “Judge Dismisses DOJ Lawsuit in Alaska Senate Race” on 2026-11-02, grounded in this article and the 21 other(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans left and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.

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⚖️ Leans left Hedges 0 of 3 claims Outlet record 64/100

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⚖️ Leans left Hedges 0 of 3 claims Outlet record 70/100

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⚖️ Leans left Hedges 6 of 22 claims Outlet record 69/100

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Hedges 4 of 34 claims Outlet record 59/100

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“Article A describes Trump's demand for removal and prosecution of Alaska Senate race candidates, while Article B discusses a legal action to dismiss a lawsuit related to ballot certification in the same election.”

DOJ ramps up criminal probe into Alaska’s ‘Decoy Dan’, preps grand jury subpoenas Different event

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“Article A discusses the DOJ's escalation of a criminal probe and preparation of grand jury subpoenas, while Article B covers a lawsuit filed by Trump to challenge Alaska Senate ballots, which is a different but related event.”

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⚖️ Leans strongly right further right than this Hedges 4 of 32 claims Outlet record 66/100

“Article A discusses allegations of confusion tactics in an election campaign, while Article B reports on a legal action and response from attorneys regarding 'Decoy Dan' ballots.”

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Associated Press

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🔮 It was that candidate’s presence on the ballot that prompted Trump to push for the lawsuit out of fear he would siphon votes from the incumbent.

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🔮 Flint contributed $500 over the summer to what he considered a long-shot campaign, saying he knew Dan Sullivan would have expenses and respected him for “throwing his hat in the ring.”

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All 614 articles by Associated Press →

Claims (11 extracted, 0 hedged)

Published Oct. 31, 2026, 5:22 p.m. ET Alaska’s Republican-run state government on Saturday urged a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed at President Donald Trump’s direction to stop the certification of a possible Democratic win in that state’s pivotal U.S. Senate race, writing that there is “no reason for this Court to entertain this meritless lawsuit any longer.” asserted

Court → publish → lawsuit

The scathing filing from the state’s attorney general’s office comes as U.S. District Court Judge Sharon L. Gleason set a deadline of Saturday for arguments over whether she should dismiss the lawsuit without even a hearing. asserted

she → come → hearing

The complaint from the U.S. Department of Justice has been roundly criticized by election law experts and demands that the judge halt certification of a possible win by Democrat Mary Peltola until it is determined whether voters were confused by the presence of a second candidate on the ballot with the same name as her main rival, Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. asserted

voters → criticize → rival

The Department of Justice on Friday added a request that the judge separate all ballots showing votes for the second Dan Sullivan until it can be determined whether voters were fooled into wasting their votes for a spoiler candidate. asserted

voters → add → candidate

In its Saturday filing, Alaska said this was “both disturbing and impossible.” asserted

this → say → filing

It added there would be no way to do that without violating voter privacy. asserted

It → add → privacy

Trump also demanded that Peltola be prosecuted after The New York Times this week reported that internal texts and posts appear to show the Democrats’ campaign was involved in recruiting the second Sullivan, a retired school teacher in the remote fishing village of Petersburg, onto the ballot. asserted

campaign → demand → ballot

Here’s the latest on the ‘Decoy Dan’ scandal in the ongoing Alaska Senate race: asserted

latest → ’ → race

But the state filing notes that the two Sullivans are distinguished from each other on the ballot — the senator is listed as a Republican and the incumbent, while the other simply as “Daniel J. Sullivan.” asserted

senator → note → Sullivan

“State officials carefully designed the ballot to minimize voter confusion,” Alaska officials wrote. asserted

officials → design → confusion

“The Court should immediately dismiss this lawsuit with prejudice and allow state officials to conduct the general election — including ballot counting and certification — free from unwarranted federal interference.” asserted

officials → dismiss → interference

Trump ask to set aside ‘Decoy Dan’ Alaska Senate ballots ‘not even possible’: attorneys

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