Judge Dismisses Alaska Senate Suit; Rep. Stevens Backs GOP’s Rogers

Two of the nation's marquee U.S. Senate battlegrounds saw major developments Sunday as a federal judge in Juneau threw out a Justice Department lawsuit targeting Alaska's Senate election, reported by The Associated Press on KCBS Radio and Derek B. Johnson in CyberScoop, while in Detroit, Democratic U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers over Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed, according to The Associated Press on KCBS Radio.

Federal Judge Sharon Gleason Dismisses DOJ Alaska Senate Lawsuit

In Juneau, U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason dismissed the Department of Justice's lawsuit seeking to block certification of Alaska's Nov. 3 U.S. Senate race if Republican incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan loses to former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola. The suit centered on the presence of retired teacher Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., an independent candidate who received 2.5% of the vote in the August open primary to qualify as one of the top 4 candidates after the Alaska Supreme Court upheld state court rulings restoring him to the ballot over Alaska Director of Elections Carol Beecher's June decertification.

Granting motions to dismiss backed by the State of Alaska, Peltola's campaign, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (led by executive director Devan Barber), the League of Women Voters of Alaska, Common Cause, and the NAACP (represented by general counsel Kristen Clarke), Gleason ruled that:

• Nearly 60,000 Alaskans have already cast early or mail ballots, making reissuing ballots infeasible;
• The United States failed to establish the redressability requirement for Article III standing because it offered no workable plan to segregate ballots or investigate voter intent without violating the secrecy of the ballot; and
• Under the U.S. Constitution and the Supreme Court's Purcell principle, the federal executive branch has no authority to dictate how Alaska conducts or certifies its ranked-choice election.

David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, called the ruling "a victory for Alaska state sovereignty." The Justice Department filed a notice of appeal shortly after Sunday's decision.

Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens Endorses Republican Mike Rogers in Detroit

In Michigan — where more than 1.8 million voters had already cast ballots as of Friday since early voting opened Oct. 24 for the open seat of retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters — Rep. Haley Stevens stunned Democratic officials less than 48 hours before Election Day by endorsing Republican former congressman Mike Rogers.

Stevens, who lost the bitter August primary to former public health official Abdul El-Sayed despite winning Wayne and Oakland counties, was disinvited from a planned Sunday unity church appearance with El-Sayed, Rep. Jim Clyburn, Rep. Debbie Dingell, Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow after Dingell said tensions over an independent group's ad on Israel and grocery prices had become "way too distracting."

Instead, Stevens and her fiancé Jason Turkish attended services at Detroit's Perfecting Church alongside Rogers and his wife, Kristi, before releasing a video endorsing Rogers. Stevens' longtime chief of staff immediately resigned, calling the staff "shocked and heartbroken," while Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel condemned the move. El-Sayed dismissed the endorsement, saying he remains focused on lowering the cost of living, while President Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson praised Stevens.