Alaska Senate race shenanigans still don’t justify the DOJ’s lawsuit

MS NOW columnist Hayes Brown argues that new revelations about Democrat Mary Peltola's Senate campaign in Alaska, however troubling, give the Justice Department no legitimate basis for its lawsuit over the race. The Times reported that her campaign helped bring a second Dan Sullivan onto the ballot alongside Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, and Governor Mike Dunleavy responded by ordering an investigation. President Donald Trump renewed his anger at the campaign. Peltola's team denies wrongdoing, though a former campaign manager reportedly described the recruitment effort before retracting her remarks, and texts show advisers joking about tricking voters.

Brown notes that the Times described such ballot-stacking as common, generally legal, and used by both parties in Alaska. The ballot labels the incumbent clearly, and law professor Edward Foley says ranked choice voting reduces the risk of accidental harm to him. The Justice Department wants certification blocked if Peltola wins, pending an inquiry. Alaska elections director Carol Beecher, whose earlier comment the department cites, now opposes the suit, and state lawyers say Washington lacks authority to intervene in state elections. Any state-level consequences, such as perjury exposure raised by Rick Hasen, remain speculative.

Summarized by PolitiKool from MS NOW’s reporting. Read the full story at MS NOW →