US judge dismisses Trump election lawsuit in Alaska

A ​federal judge on ‌Sunday threw ​out a lawsuit by President Donald Trump's administration seeking to block Alaska ‌from certifying a loss by Republican Senator Dan Sullivan in Tuesday's midterm elections if votes for a rival who shares ‌his name could have changed the outcome. The ruling ‌by US District Judge Sharon Gleason in Anchorage was the latest blow to Trump's efforts to assert a greater federal role ⁠in ​elections, which ⁠under the US Constitution are administered by the states.

The race, in which ⁠Democratic former US Representative Mary Peltola is challenging Sullivan, could ​prove critical for determining whether Trump's fellow Republicans can ⁠retain control of the Senate in the midterms. The Trump administration has ⁠taken ​an increasingly aggressive approach to election oversight, pressing states for voter-registration data and arguing that stricter measures ⁠are needed to ensure public confidence in the vote. Critics, including ⁠Democratic and ⁠some Republican election officials, view the moves as federal overreach.