// BBC WORLD NEWS — MONDO
Trump administration sues to block certification of upcoming Alaska election
Senator Dan Sullivan, right, is in a tight race with Democratic contender Mary Peltola.
The Trump administration wants to block the certification of the Senate election in Alaska if Republican Senator Dan Sullivan loses, arguing that another candidate with the same name may confuse voters.
The justice department said in a federal lawsuit filed on Thursday that the inclusion of another Dan Sullivan on the ballot could lead some to mistakenly cast their votes for the wrong candidate.
Polls suggest the race between Senator Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola is tight, with Peltola holding a narrow lead in the final days before the 3 November vote.
The US government wants the judge to bar the state from certifying the results if Senator Sullivan loses by a margin less than the other Sullivan.
"I'm the one that said do it," US President Donald Trump told reporters when asked for his thoughts on the lawsuit after he landed in Florida for a campaign rally on Friday.
Trump has referred to the second Sullivan's candidacy as a "scam" and said his administration was looking at "powerful legal options" to end it. The retired teacher previously denied his candidacy had an ulterior motive.
Previous efforts to remove that Sullivan, a retired teacher, from the ballot have already been rejected by the Alaska Supreme Court.
For the 3 November midterm election, the senator will be listed on the ballot as the Republican incumbent.
Alaska's ranked-choice voting system means that voters could select both Sullivans if they are unsure at the ballot box.