Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola on Friday blasted the Trump administration’s lawsuit seeking to block Alaska from certifying the results of its Senate race under certain circumstances, calling it a “desperate attempt to silence Alaskans.”

“This is exactly the kind of corruption that Alaskans are sick and tired of,” Peltola told MS NOW’s Nicolle Wallace. “This is clearly a very desperate attempt to cling to power, using his allies in Washington, D.C., to rig the system even further.”

The remarks came after President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice filed an extraordinary preemptive lawsuit seeking to prevent Alaska from certifying the Senate election results if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses to Peltola by a narrow margin.

The lawsuit centers on another candidate named Daniel Sullivan, a retired teacher who shares the incumbent senator’s name. The administration argues that the presence of both candidates on the ballot could confuse voters and potentially affect the outcome of the election.

Trump said Friday that he directed the Justice Department to pursue the lawsuit, an unusual intervention in a Senate contest that could help determine control of the chamber. The legal challenge comes as polling averages show Peltola narrowly leading Sullivan with 11 days until Election Day. Peltola holds a 2-point lead over Sullivan, 49.7% to 47.7%, in MS NOW polling partner FiftyPlusOne’s weighted average.

Peltola rejected the suggestion that voters could mistake the two candidates, noting that the ballot identifies the incumbent senator.

“It is not playing well with Alaskans at all, and it’s sending a message that Dan Sullivan does not believe that Alaskans are sophisticated enough to know exactly who they’re voting for,” she said.

Peltola also argued that the lawsuit was an effort to distract voters from affordability concerns and Sullivan’s record.

“It’s such a distraction,” she said. “The only thing Alaskans want to talk about right now is affordability and the high cost of living, and just the concerns about making it through this upcoming winter, being able to afford to heat your home and feed your family.”

The Alaska Supreme Court has already considered the question of whether the other Daniel Sullivan could appear on the ballot, ordering the state’s Division of Elections in June to include his name on the primary ballot.

Asked whether she was confident that a win would ultimately be certified, Peltola said she is “worried about the level of desperation,” adding that she hoped for a decisive enough margin to avoid a prolonged dispute.

Peltola said her campaign had set a $60 million fundraising goal even before the prospect of costly litigation over the election results, citing the high cost of advertising and reaching voters across Alaska’s remote communities.

“We are worried about the implications of the cost of a legal battle,” she said.

She also warned that intervention from Washington could backfire in a state where voters prize their independence.

“Alaskans know exactly who they’re voting for,” Peltola said. “We have safe and secure elections, and this is just more distraction, more diversion and another red herring.”

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