Republicans Float Refusing to Seat Mary Peltola If She Wins Alaska Senate Race

A federal judge in Alaska just slammed the door on the Trump administration's attempt to slow-walk certification of the state's Senate election. US District Judge Sharon Gleason dismissed the Justice Department's lawsuit on Monday, ruling the feds had no authority to force Alaska to segregate or investigate ballots cast for independent candidate Daniel J. Sullivan. Her reasoning was blunt: the government offered no workable plan to separate those ballots without blowing up voter secrecy, and the request landed too late — plenty of Alaskans had already voted early or absentee.

That dismissal didn't quiet things down. House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer went on Fox News and said it was a real possibility Republicans would refuse to seat Democrat Mary Peltola if she wins. He did concede he hasn't talked it over with Senate Majority Leader John Thune. Conservative strategist Roger Stone pushed the same idea online, pointing to Article I, Section 5 of the Constitution — the clause giving the Senate power to judge its own members' elections and qualifications — and claiming there's historical precedent for it.

The ballot itself is the source of the chaos. Peltola, a Democrat, is running against Republican Gerald Heikes, an independent contender also named Dan J. Sullivan, and incumbent Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan. Two Dan Sullivans, one ballot. The Justice Department alleged that Daniel J. Sullivan jumped in mainly to siphon votes from the incumbent, and President Donald Trump publicly backed the suit, calling the independent the 'fake' candidate and saying he'd directed DOJ to challenge the ballot.

The dispute got hotter after The New York Times reported that people tied to Peltola's campaign had discussed recruiting potential spoiler candidates. Peltola has flatly denied knowing anything about a plan to plant another Dan Sullivan on the ballot. At a Juneau event last week, she said she 'knew nothing about any other candidates on the ballot other for me and the incumbent' — a claim reported by the Epoch Times — framing it as an effort to clear the air.

So where does this leave things? Peltola is still on the ballot against incumbent Dan S. Sullivan and independent Daniel J. Sullivan in one of the most closely watched Senate contests in the country. Gleason's ruling clears the path to certification, but the talk of refusing to seat a winner shows the fight is nowhere near over.