A federal judge rejected Trump's attempt to intervene in Alaska's Senate race

On Sunday, November 1, a federal judge in Alaska rejected the Trump administration’s action seeking to separate and preserve certain ballots from the Senate election. The race’s main contenders are Republican Dan Sullivan, the incumbent senator, and Democrat Mary Peltola.

The Trump administration argued that voters might have confused the senator’s name with that of a candidate named Dan J. Sullivan. He entered the race after reportedly being recruited by Peltola’s campaign and other Democrats, according to an investigation published by The New York Times.

The federal government requested that ballots marked for Dan J. Sullivan be identified and preserved. The move also sought to block certification of the election results if the Republican senator were defeated.

Judge Sharon Gleason rejected the request, citing voters’ right to a secret ballot. She said the administration had not explained how the alleged harm could be remedied without violating that right. On Saturday, Alaska’s Republican state government had asked the court to prevent the Trump administration’s initiative.