The legal bid, which Trump has said he ordered personally, sparked alarm, given concerns that Republicans will seek to contest losses in the midterms battle for control of Congress.

This combination photo shows Republican Senator Dan Sullivan (left) in Palmer, Alaska, Aug 17, 2026, and a candidate in Alaska's Senate race, Dan Sullivan in Petersburg, Alaska, on Jul 3 2026. (Photos: AP /Mark Thiessen/Becky Bohrer)

This combination photo shows Republican Senator Dan Sullivan (left) in Palmer, Alaska, Aug 17, 2026, and a candidate in Alaska's Senate race, Dan Sullivan in Petersburg, Alaska, on Jul 3 2026. (Photos: AP /Mark Thiessen/Becky Bohrer)

WASHINGTON: A federal judge on Sunday (Nov 1) tossed out an extremely unusual attempt by US President Donald Trump's administration to hold up midterm election results in Alaska should the Democratic Senate candidate win.

The judge dismissed the closely watched lawsuit, saying it would be unworkable.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) had asked the court to block certification of the results if incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan loses on Tuesday, because a second candidate also named Dan Sullivan would have drawn away votes.

The legal bid, which Trump has said he ordered personally, sparked alarm, given concerns that Republicans will seek to contest losses in the midterms battle for control of Congress.

CNA Games Guess Word Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less

Alaska is one of the states where Democrats are aiming to flip Republican-held seats in their uphill bid to win the Senate majority.

According to Trump and the lawsuit, the Democratic candidate in Alaska, Mary Peltola, has tried to get an unfair advantage by recruiting another person named Sullivan to run and confuse voters who intended to back the incumbent Republican Senator Sullivan.