Alaska’s Division of Elections ruled on Monday that Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher from Petersburg who shares the same name and party affiliation as Republican U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan, is ineligible to appear on the state’s August primary ballot.
Division Director Carol Beecher concluded in a letter that the challenger’s declaration of candidacy “was not filed in order to declare an actual good-faith candidacy for the office of United States Senator, but was instead filed with a purpose to confuse or mislead and to thereby compromise the ballot’s fairness or neutrality.” The challenger can appeal, though ballots are scheduled to be printed June 28.
The ruling ends a contentious dispute that began when Dan J. Sullivan filed his candidacy on May 29, days before the June 1 deadline. Incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan and Republican groups immediately attacked the candidacy as a “sham” designed to confuse voters and benefit Democratic candidate Mary Peltola. Both the challenger and Peltola’s campaign have denied any coordination.
In her letter, Beecher cited several factors in determining ineligibility. The challenger had registered to vote as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. and changed his party affiliation to Republican in conjunction with his candidacy, an affiliation he had not held previously. Beecher also noted similarities between his campaign website and the senator’s, as well as his work with a consultant whose clients have included some Democrats. While she said the consultant work was “innocuous” in isolation, she concluded that taken together, the details “suggests a determined and a deliberate attempt to use the similarity of your name to confuse Alaska voters.”
The challenger has disputed the allegations, saying he registered as a Republican in part because of his late father, whom he described as a “true, compassionate, conservative Republican.” In a statement, he called the process politically motivated: “I am a qualified candidate who followed the rules and filed to run for office under my legal name. Yet, unsupported accusations have been given credibility while political operatives continue their effort to keep me off the ballot.”
The controversy drew attention to Alaska’s open primary system, which allows candidates from any party to appear on the same August ballot. On Friday, protesters gathered outside the Division of Elections office in Juneau opposing the challenger’s removal. Anjuli Grantham, with the advocacy group Juneau for Democracy, argued that the challenger met all legal qualifications—being over 30, a U.S. citizen, and an Alaska resident—and that disqualifying him amounted to state interference in ballot access.
Sources
- AP News — Full text of Carol Beecher’s ruling and challenger’s response; confirmation of June 15 decision date and June 28 ballot printing deadline.
- Alaska Beacon — Details on Beecher’s preliminary decision, the challenger’s party affiliation change, and statements from protesters and campaign representatives.
- The Washington Post — Confirmation that Republicans alleged the challenger entered the race to siphon votes from the incumbent.
