I’m sipping my coffee and reading about the latest shenanigans from the Trump administration, and folks, this one is a doozy. The Trump administration has preemptively filed a lawsuit seeking to block certification of Alaska’s US Senate election if the Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan loses in the state, which could decide the balance of power in the Senate. Because, you know, the Trump team is all about fair play and respecting the democratic process… said no one ever. The lawsuit alleges that the presence of a candidate named Daniel J. Sullivan, a registered Republican, could confuse voters and wants a court to potentially delay the certification of the election if Sen. Sullivan is defeated next month.
The lawsuit is based on a “strange and unusual” legal theory, according to Derek Muller, an election law professor at Notre Dame Law School. I mean, who needs legal precedent when you’ve got a good dose of creative thinking, right? It’s also unclear, Muller said, on a practical level, how a court could even intervene in the way the Justice Department proposes. But hey, that’s never stopped the Trump team before, has it?
The battle for control of the Senate could come down to Alaska, where there has been little reliable polling, but where Dan S. Sullivan, the incumbent senator, and Democrat Mary Peltola have been in a closely contested race. Democrats need to net four seats in November to win the Senate, and Alaska is one of several Republican-held states that Democrats are hoping to flip. You can bet your bottom dollar that the Trump team is going to pull out all the stops to try and prevent that from happening.
The presence of the second Sullivan has brought additional controversy to the race and has already been a source of litigation, as Republicans have alleged he is running a spoiler candidacy designed to confuse voters. Because, you know, voters are just so easily confused. Daniel J. Sullivan is a registered Republican, but state election officials listed him on the ballot without a party affiliation. Sen. Sullivan is labeled on the ballot as “Registered Republican” and “incumbent.” I’m sure that won’t cause any confusion at all.
In the primary, the incumbent Dan Sullivan won 68,726 votes, while Daniel J. Sullivan won 4,107. I guess that’s what they mean by “a landslide victory”… for the other guy. The lawsuit points to the preface of a federal law setting guardrails on states’ voter registration procedures as giving the court the power to intervene. Because, you know, the preface of a law is always the best place to find the real meaning of the legislation.
Muller said he had never seen an attempt to use the introductory federal voter registration law in the way the Justice Department is trying to use it now. I’m shocked, SHOCKED, that the Trump team is trying to push the boundaries of the law. The lawsuit says, “The United States likewise suffers an injury when the certification of the election for a federal office is tainted by a frivolous candidacy because that undermines confidence in the make-up and workings of the federal government.” Wow, that sounds like some serious legalese right there.
Under Alaska’s voting system, the top four candidates from the primary, regardless of party, advanced to the general election. On the general election ballot, voters have the option to rank the candidates in order of preference. If no candidate gets a majority of first-choice votes, voters’ other rankings come into play. In each round of the tabulation, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and their votes are reallocated to whoever those voters ranked next highest. That process continues until only two candidates remain and there’s a winner. Simple, right?
DOJ alleges there is a possibility that voters intending to cast ballots might not rank the incumbent senator at all, or will rank Daniel J. Sullivan over him, resulting in the challenger’s votes going to the Democratic candidate if the race goes into additional rounds of tabulation. Because, you know, voters are just so unpredictable. The lawsuit states, “Even if a majority of Alaskans wish to vote for Senator Sullivan, Daniel J. Sullivan’s presence on the ballot will result in a victory for Peltola.” I’m sure that’s exactly what the Trump team is afraid of.
In conclusion, it’s just another day in the wild world of American politics, folks. The Trump administration is trying to block the certification of an election in Alaska, because why not? It’s not like they have anything better to do. And in the end, it’s all just a big game of political chess, where the pawns are the voters and the prize is the Senate seat. But hey, at least it’s entertaining, right? As I finish my coffee, I’m left wondering what other tricks the Trump team has up its sleeve. Stay tuned, folks, it’s going to be a wild ride! 😂
Armchair patriot. Believes in the free market, cold beer, and that there’s always a guy named George behind every CNN segment.
Former remote-throwing champion turned #1 couch commentator on liberal panic in the media. Born in Texas (or so his mug says), he earned a degree in Fake Newsology & Beer Philosophy from YouTube University.
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