Two candidates with the same name in Alaska: Schiff accuses Justice Department over lawsuit, voter confusion at centre

Alaska's Senate election in the United States has drawn controversy over two candidates with the same name. Incumbent Senator Dan S. Sullivan is running as the Republican, while Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., who has no party affiliation, is also on the ballot.

California Democratic Senator Adam Schiff has accused President Donald Trump's Justice Department of trying to subvert the election through its lawsuit over the ballot. Schiff told NBC News on Sunday that running Alaskan elections is not the federal government's business and is Alaska's own business.

Schiff said Alaska's courts have already adjudicated the question. State election officials initially disqualified the Sullivan from Petersburg, raising concerns that his candidacy was intended to confuse voters and citing his requested ballot name, recent party registration and similarities between campaign materials.

An Alaska Superior Court judge overturned the state's decision and allowed the namesake candidate to remain on the ballot. The Alaska Supreme Court subsequently upheld that ruling.

After the state proceedings concluded, the Justice Department filed a separate federal suit last week. Its complaint asks the court to delay certification in a specific scenario: if incumbent Senator Sullivan loses but would have won had votes for the Petersburg Sullivan gone to him instead, pending an investigation into whether voters intended to support the incumbent.

The department's filing said the sole purpose of the candidacy was to benefit the Peltola campaign by reducing votes for Senator Sullivan. It also cited a letter from Alaska Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher alleging that the Petersburg Sullivan's declaration was not properly filed because it was not intended as a good-faith candidacy.

Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the lawsuit on Sunday. The department said it does not seek to stop any ballot from being cast or to stop certification of Alaska's election. Blanche said the litigation seeks to preserve ballots after they are cast so that Alaska's own officials have the information to determine whether voters were confused or misled.

Republicans contend Democrats propped up the same-name candidate to draw votes from the incumbent and help former Democratic Representative Mary Peltola. Peltola and her campaign deny that claim.

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

Schiff predicted the case has no chance of succeeding. He compared it to Trump's efforts to challenge the 2020 presidential election, arguing that Attorney General William Barr at the time refused to support efforts to overturn the results.