Alaska officials ask judge to deny Trump administration’s ‘impossible’ demand to set aside Senate ballots

Key Points:

• Alaska's Republican-led state government has urged a federal judge to permanently dismiss the Trump administration's lawsuit that seeks to block certification of the Alaska Senate race if GOP Sen. Dan S. Sullivan loses.
• The lawsuit alleges that Democratic candidate Mary Peltola’s campaign recruited a retired teacher with the same name as Sullivan to confuse voters, a claim Peltola denies.
• Alaska officials criticized the Trump administration's legal standing and highlighted that the state carefully designed the ballot to minimize confusion, with the Alaska Supreme Court approving the second Sullivan's candidacy months ago.
• The state attorney general requested the lawsuit be dismissed immediately to allow the general election process to proceed without federal interference.
• Sen. Sullivan accused Peltola of being aware of the alleged scheme, while Peltola strongly denied involvement, calling the accusations offensive and asserting she does not seek to increase competition.