Vance calls Alaska ballot placement 'electoral fraud' as DOJ suit nears the vote

The vice president defended a Justice Department suit that could block certification of Alaska's Senate result if Republican Dan Sullivan loses. Alaska's courts have already let the second candidate stay on the ballot.

By the Campaign Desk · Tuesday, October 27, 2026, 4:38 PM ET · 2 min read

Every quote in this story (1) was matched word for word against its source. How we work

Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday called an independent Senate candidate in Alaska's ballot placement "electoral fraud" because his name is similar to that of Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. He spoke while defending his administration's lawsuit over the race. ¹

A reporter asked why Alaskans shouldn't find it insulting that the administration seems to suggest they can't read the word "incumbent" on their ballots. Vance said he expected many Alaskans to see the whole matter as a big fraud. He then said people are busy, and argued that the second candidate was put on the ballot to confuse voters. ¹

**Oct. 27: Vance answers reporter's question on whether DOJ's Alaska lawsuit is 'insulting' to voters**Video: Forbes Breaking News on YouTube, “WATCH: Vance Fires Back At Reporter After Question If DOJ's Alaska Lawsuit Was 'Insulting' To Voters”. It plays from YouTube when you press play.

What the lawsuit asks

The Justice Department (DOJ) filed the suit late Thursday, Oct. 22, in federal court in Alaska. It asks that the state be blocked from certifying a win by Democrat Mary Peltola if the second candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan, remains on the ballot. ² The suit states that the similar name would result in an invalid win for Peltola. ¹

The suit asks that certification be paused "pending an investigation to determine whether votes cast for Daniel J. Sullivan were meant to be cast for Senator Sullivan." It does not ask the court to remove him from the ballot. ²³

From Channel GOPPeltola: Tariffs doubled Alaska air taxi's parts billMary Peltola · 141 plays · captioned, with the source named

President Trump has said he ordered it. "I'm the one that said do it," he told reporters on Friday. ² The DOJ filed the suit 12 days before the Nov. 3 election. ²

What is on the ballot

The two men will appear differently. Sen. Dan S. Sullivan is labeled "incumbent" and "Republican." Daniel J. Sullivan appears without a party label. ¹³ Alaska uses ranked-choice voting, so voters may rank both men. ²³

**Oct. 23: DOJ sues to block Alaska from certifying Senate winner if Republican Dan Sullivan loses**Video: CNBC Television on YouTube, “DOJ sues to block Alaska from certifying Senate race winner if Republican loses”. It plays from YouTube when you press play.

The DOJ complaint says Daniel J. Sullivan asked to be listed as "Dan Sullivan." It also says he changed his party registration to Republican shortly before filing, and that his campaign website resembles the senator's. He received 2.5% in the August primary. ³

He has said he decided to run on his own, according to coverage of the suit. ² State elections officials removed him from the ballot, but a state trial court reversed that decision and the Alaska Supreme Court affirmed it. ³

The reaction

Peltola, the Democratic candidate, called the lawsuit "just flagrant, flagrant corruption in my opinion." She said she was concerned that Alaskans' voices would not be heard. ² Sullivan's campaign spokesman, Nate Adams, said, "We'll let the DOJ complaint run its course." ²

The Hill said it had reached out to Daniel J. Sullivan's campaign for comment. ¹

Why it matters

That matters because the fraud charge is Vance's opinion. Alaska's own courts have let the second candidate stay on the ballot. ³ The suit also does not try to remove him. It instead sets up a possible fight over the result after voters have voted. ²

Control of the Senate may depend on close races like this one. A challenge to certification, the official sign-off on the vote count, would put the White House in a dispute over a state's election. Trump has said he directed the DOJ to file the suit. ¹

What happens next is up to the federal court in Alaska, which has not ruled on the suit in the coverage we reviewed. Alaskans vote on Nov. 3. ²

The Record

Oct 22, 2026The Justice Department sued in federal court in Alaska to block certification of a Peltola win if Daniel J. Sullivan stays on the ballot ².
Oct 23, 2026Trump told reporters, "I'm the one that said do it," about the lawsuit ².
Oct 27, 2026Vance called the second candidate's ballot placement "electoral fraud" while defending the suit ¹.

Sources

The Hill, “Vance responds to question about 'insulting' Alaska election lawsuit” (2026-10-27). thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/6175918-vance-alaska-senate
KBTX, “Trump says he ordered the Justice Department lawsuit over Alaska's US Senate race” (2026-10-23). kbtx.com/2026/10/23/trump-administration-files-lawsuit-block
KMPH, “Trump administration seeks to block Alaska Senate results if GOP incumbent loses” (2026-10-23). kmph.com/news/nation-world/president-donald-trump-administra

Found an error? Tell the newsroom. Corrections are noted at the top of the story.

Judge fast-tracks DOJ suit over Alaska's two Dan Sullivans, could rule this week

A federal judge set an emergency schedule in the Justice Department's bid to block certification of Alaska's Senate race if the Republican incumbent loses. A ruling could come before the weekend, a week before Election Day.

Today, 7:08 AM ET

Democracy

Peltola campaign and DSCC ask to join DOJ suit over Alaska Senate certification

Democrats and voting-rights groups filed Friday to defend Alaska's election against a Justice Department suit that Trump says he ordered. It could stop certification if Sen. Dan Sullivan loses.

Oct 24, 4:34 PM ET