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Attorney General Todd Blanche confronted CNN host Dana Bash on Sunday after the network highlighted only the first portion of the Constitution’s Elections Clause during a heated exchange on “State of the Union” over the Justice Department’s lawsuit concerning two candidates with similar names in Alaska’s closely watched Senate race.
Blanche pushed back as Bash referenced the Alaska Supreme Court’s earlier ruling allowing Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., who shares a name with incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, to remain on the ballot. The attorney general demanded that CNN display the remainder of the constitutional provision, which grants Congress authority to make or alter regulations governing congressional elections.
“Conveniently, you put up the Constitution on your screen, but you highlighted only the first clause. 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,” Blanche said.
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Attorney General Todd Blanche confronted CNN host Dana Bash after the network highlighted only part of the Constitution’s Elections Clause during a heated discussion about Alaska’s Senate election. (Getty Images)
The exchange centered on Article I, Section 4 of the Constitution, which gives state legislatures authority to establish procedures for congressional elections while permitting Congress to enact or modify those regulations.
Blanche argued that the second half of the provision supports the federal government’s intervention under existing federal statutes.
“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 said.
The Justice Department’s lawsuit relies on the National Voter Registration Act, arguing that allowing a candidate who, according to the DOJ, intends to confuse voters to remain on the ballot undermines election integrity. The complaint asks the court to delay election certification if votes cast for Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. could alter the final outcome.
The DOJ’s complaint accused the challenger of deliberately attempting to mislead voters by using a name similar to the incumbent’s.
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Blanche defended the Justice Department’s lawsuit over Alaska’s Senate race, arguing that a second candidate named Daniel Sullivan could confuse voters and potentially influence the election’s outcome. (Ken Cedeno/AFP via Getty Images)
Media Research Center President David Bozell criticized Bash’s presentation of the constitutional language in a statement to Digital, accusing CNN of failing to provide viewers with the complete provision.
“An anchor who hands viewers half a provision on election integrity is running a magic act, and the trick fell apart on live television. 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,” Bozell said.
The DOJ lawsuit follows a June ruling by the Alaska Supreme Court allowing the challenger to appear on the ballot despite objections from state election officials. The court left the question of how his name should appear to the state’s 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 states.
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Senate candidate Dan Sullivan, left, pictured alongside Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, right. (Sullivan for U.S. Senate; Brandon Bell-Pool/Getty Images)
Republicans have accused the challenger, a retired teacher from Petersburg, of attempting to siphon votes from the incumbent. Daniel J. Sullivan has denied those accusations and maintained that his candidacy is legitimate.
President Donald Trump also addressed the controversy Friday while speaking to reporters in Florida, acknowledging that he personally encouraged the Justice Department to pursue legal action.
“I’m the one that said, do it,” Trump said.
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The federal challenge faces opposition from voting rights groups and the campaign of Democratic candidate Mary Peltola, both of which filed motions to intervene in the case. The American Civil Liberties Union argued that the National Voter Registration Act establishes voter-registration procedures and does not authorize blocking election certification over candidate placement.
