Saturday, October 24th

What happened

The Justice Department sued Alaska and state election officials, asking a federal court to block certification of the U.S. Senate race under specified circumstances. Alaska officials had tried to exclude Daniel J. Sullivan, but state courts allowed him to remain on the ballot. The race pits Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan against Democrat Mary Peltola and Daniel J. Sullivan under ranked-choice voting, where voters can rank multiple candidates. The DOJ says the second Sullivan could confuse voters and distort the result. Daniel J. Sullivan says he ran independently and denies trying to confuse voters or coordinating with Peltola. Trump said he directed the lawsuit. The court’s decision remained pending.

What happened

President Donald Trump defended Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s ad featuring Democratic rival Amy Acton’s estranged mother, Donna Arthur, and urged him to keep it running. The campaign has said it will spend $4 million promoting the ad, which calls Acton a liar and says voters should not elect her. Acton has said her stepfather sexually abused her as a child, was indicted in 1978, pleaded not guilty and fled before trial. She says her mother stayed with him and has not seen her since she was 12. Ramaswamy said the ad targets Acton’s honesty, not childhood abuse. The campaign says it will continue airing the ad.

What happened

President Donald Trump demanded Rep. Ilhan Omar resign, claiming she used a fake name to enter Congress. Omar remains in office, and Trump has no authority to remove her from her House seat. Federal agents searched Omar’s Washington home on Oct. 12 under a warrant in a criminal investigation into possible fraud in her family’s immigration paperwork. Omar, who came from Somalia as a child in 1995 and became a U.S. citizen in 2000, has denied wrongdoing. Investigators are examining whether false details appeared in immigration documents; earlier federal reviewers closed a 2019 review for insufficient evidence. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said another name in a court filing was Omar’s real name; Omar’s office called that false. No charges have been announced.