Blanche defends DOJ suit to block Alaska Senate certification if Sullivan loses amid name confusion claim

Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the Justice Department's lawsuit seeking to block certification of Alaska's U.S. Senate election if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan narrowly loses, in Sunday interviews on CNN's "State of the Union" and CBS's "Face the Nation" on Oct. 25, 2026. The suit was filed last week, about nine days before the Nov. 3 election. It cites likely voter confusion over Daniel J. Sullivan, a retired teacher also on the ballot. The department said the confusion could help former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola, who is narrowly ahead in polls. The suit says Alaska should not certify if Sullivan does not win and he would have won had all votes for Daniel J. Sullivan gone to him under rank-choice counting. Blanche said a court would decide any confusion later and that he wants Alaska's courts to be able to address an unjust result. He also said opponents had never gone to such lengths to cheat. President Trump said he was the one who ordered the suit. Blanche agreed with Harmeet Dhillon, a DOJ colleague, that counting and certification should normally proceed uninterrupted absent unexpected facts.

The right-leaning Daily Caller leads with a heated exchange, with a headline built on Blanche's dismissive "stop it" retort to CNN's Dana Bash after she raised a possible repeat of Jan. 6. It centers Bash's question and Blanche's irritation, while describing the suit as about similar names. Left-leaning NPR frames the story around Blanche defending a suit "blocking" results if a Republican loses. CBS's transcript shows Margaret Brennan citing Dhillon's comments, the two Sullivans, and Trump's remark that he ordered the suit. Both sides report Blanche's Sunday defense and the name issue. They differ in emphasis: the right on the confrontation, the left on the suit's aim and Trump's role. CNBC adds Peltola's polling lead and the suit's legal language.