President Donald Trump called Sen. Lisa Murkowski “a DISGRACE to Alaska and our Country” in a Truth Social post late Saturday night, escalating a fight inside the GOP over a Justice Department lawsuit aimed at Alaska’s U.S. Senate race just days before the Nov. 3 election.
In the post, timestamped 11:13 p.m. Eastern on Oct. 24, Trump labeled Murkowski “The Republicans’ Worst Senator, by far” and said she “only got elected because of Corrupt Ranked Choice Voting.” He wrote that she opposes the lawsuit because, in his words, “Murkowski probably wants that to happen,” referring to his claim that Democrats are trying to “steal” the seat held by Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan.
Alaskans don’t need any help voting for their preferred candidates, and the State of Alaska has already handled this by clearly distinguishing the candidates on this year’s ballot. The Department of Justice should never have filed this lawsuit.https://t.co/88tGvV0P8O
— Sen. Lisa Murkowski (@lisamurkowski) October 24, 2026
The feud traces back to Murkowski’s own post on X on Friday evening. “Alaskans don’t need any help voting for their preferred candidates, and the State of Alaska has already handled this by clearly distinguishing the candidates on this year’s ballot,” Murkowski wrote. “The Department of Justice should never have filed this lawsuit.”
What the DOJ lawsuit asks for
According to CNN and NBC News, the Justice Department sued Alaska election officials seeking to block certification of the Senate result under specific conditions. NBC News reported that the filing asks a court to stop certification if Sen. Sullivan does not win and if, had all votes cast for a second candidate named Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. gone to the senator instead, the incumbent would have won under Alaska’s ranked-choice count.
The filing, signed by Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward, argued that “some supporters of Senator Sullivan likely will inadvertently vote for Daniel J. Sullivan,” NBC News reported. The department said it brought the case “to protect the integrity of the 2026 Senate election in Alaska.”
Trump has openly taken credit for the suit. “Well, I’m the one that said ‘do it,'” he told reporters in Florida on Friday, according to CNN.
The other Dan Sullivan
Republicans have long argued the second Sullivan is a spoiler. NBC News reported that Alaska election officials initially removed Sullivan Jr. from the ballot in June after finding his candidacy was not in “good faith,” citing his decision to run as “Dan” rather than “Daniel” and his claimed Republican affiliation despite no record of one in Alaska. State courts later ruled he could stay on the ballot.
In August’s all-party primary, Democrat Mary Peltola received 49.5% of the vote, Sen. Sullivan 41.4% and Sullivan Jr. 2.5%, according to NBC News. In a race this close, a few points of confused votes could decide which party holds the seat, and possibly the Senate.
Murkowski’s argument rests on the ballot itself. NBC News reported that the November ballot lists “Dan S. Sullivan” with “registered Republican” and “incumbent” beside his name, while “Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.” appears with no party label. Alaska’s Division of Elections said in a statement that it is reviewing the complaint and is focused on “giving voter’s confidence that their votes will count,” NBC News reported.
Peltola attacked the lawsuit on X, calling it “the corruption AK is fed up with,” according to NBC News.
Ranked-choice repeal on the ballot
Trump closed his post by urging Alaskans to vote “YES” on Ballot Measure 2, which he described as a vote against ranked-choice voting. Murkowski, who has clashed with Trump repeatedly and voted to convict him in his second impeachment trial, won her 2022 reelection under the ranked-choice system that conservatives have spent years trying to repeal.
CNN described the lawsuit as the latest attempt by the Trump Justice Department to insert itself in the administration of elections. Supporters argue that a candidate with a near-identical name and no political history is precisely the kind of confusion election law should guard against. Federal courts have not yet ruled on the request.
Sources
- Sen. Lisa Murkowski on X
- President Trump on Truth Social
- Archived copy of Trump’s post (Trump’s Truth)
- NBC News
- CNN
Sources cited
- https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/trump-justice-department-lawsuit-alaska-senate-rcna605229
- https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/23/politics/doj-sues-alaska-dan-sullivan-us-senate
- https://www.trumpstruth.org/statuses/42711
- https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/117499362600085167
- https://x.com/lisamurkowski/status/2113801082702852173
Sources
- Original post: Sen. Lisa Murkowski (@lisamurkowski) on X, Oct 23, 2026
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