'And so it begins': Americans brace as Trump preemptively launches first midterm challenge

Critics sounded the alarm Friday after the Trump administration launched its first legal challenge to results of the midterms, more than a week before Election Day.“And so it begins,” warned Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Julie K. Brown.On Thursday, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent Alaska state officials from certifying election results if Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) loses his reelection bid. The core of the DOJ’s complaint lies with the confusion, the agency argued, that voters may have with two candidates named Sullivan on the ballot.Sullivan is facing a tight race against his Democratic opponent, former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, who recent polls show holding a slight edge. However, a former teacher and fishing enthusiast named Dan J. Sullivan is also vying for the seat, prompting outrage among Republicans that the near-identical names could spark confusion among voters.In its lawsuit, the DOJ seeks to delay Alaska’s certification of the...