SWING AND A MISS

Trump Suffers Stinging Defeat in Senate Race Fight

The president’s last-minute effort was shot down just two days before America decides.

A federal judge has shut down President Donald Trump’s shameless attempt to prevent a humiliating Republican loss.

U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason ruled Sunday that the Trump administration could not proceed with its bid to block the certification of the Alaska Senate results if Trump’s desired candidate, incumbent GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan, loses in Tuesday’s midterm election.

The administration’s argument centered on potential voter confusion between incumbent Sullivan and challenger Dan J. Sullivan—who is appearing on the ballot as an unaffiliated candidate.

The Justice Department’s lawsuit, which Trump admitted to having ordered, sought to halt the certification of election results until an investigation could determine whether voters were confused by the two Sullivans appearing on the ranked-choice ballot.

But Gleason argued the federal government provided “no workable plan” to address the concern it raised and that an investigation would likely violate Alaskan voters’ right to a secret ballot.

“The absence of any explanation from the United States as to how its requested relief could redress its alleged injury while simultaneously maintaining the secrecy of the ballot is telling,” Gleason, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, wrote. “Simply, the Court cannot grant the United States the relief it seeks.”

“If this Court were to order that certain ballots will be segregated and subject to a future and as yet unspecified investigation by law enforcement, it would likely result in voter ‘confusion and consequent incentive to remain away from the polls,’” she added. “Such late-breaking changes to the election rules are strongly disfavored.”

Reached for comment, the White House referred the Daily Beast to the DOJ, which referred the Beast to a statement the department’s “Rapid Response” account shared on X.

“The court dismissed the case on procedural grounds but did not dispute the argument of the United States that Daniel J. Sullivan (a/k/a Decoy Dan) entered the race as a frivolous candidate to confuse voters,” the account wrote. “DOJ plans to file a notice of appeal. Alaskan voters deserve a fair election, not to be misled in an attempt to rig outcomes.”

The DOJ plans to appeal Gleason’s ruling, spokesperson Kiersten Pels told NPR.

“Alaskan voters deserve a fair election, not to be misled in an attempt to rig outcomes,” Pels told the outlet.

State and federal authorities are investigating Democratic candidate Mary Peltola’s campaign after The New York Times reported that staffers and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee recruited Dan J. Sullivan to run as a spoiler candidate in the Senate race.

Trump, 80, melted down over the news on Truth Social last week after he previously fessed up to ordering the lawsuit to block certification of the election’s results.

“It has just been determined that the Democrats in Alaska illegally searched for, and recruited, a man named Dan Sullivan to run against our distinguished Republican Senator, Dan Sullivan, in order to defraud, confuse, and obfuscate the Election,” he wrote on Truth Social last week.

He continued, “Mary Peltola should suffer the Legal and Political consequences for what she has done, A FRAUD ON THE AMERICAN PUBLIC, and Dan Sullivan should be allowed to run without either Mary Peltola or FAKE Dan Sullivan on the Ballot.”

The state’s ballot clearly identifies the incumbent Sullivan as a registered Republican and the other, a retired schoolteacher, as Daniel J. Sullivan, Jr.

CNN asked one Alaska voter whether he was confused by the two Sullivans on the ballot. He replied, “Not a bit.”

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“You’ve got Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., and then you have Sullivan Dan, who’s a registered Republican and incumbent,” he told the outlet. “And I don’t even have my glasses on. It’s pretty clear. It’s in black and white.”

The incumbent Sullivan told CNN Sunday that he would accept the election results, win or lose.

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Vic VerbalaitisNight Breaking News Reporter

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