In Alaska, a Senate candidate with the same name as Republican Senator Dan Sullivan has been declared ineligible to appear on the state’s primary ballot. An election official found the candidate’s attempt a ‘determined effort and a deliberate attempt’ to confuse voters.
The candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan, announced his challenge to the sitting senator earlier this month, which created confusion leading up to the August primary. This has caused concern among Republicans.
Elections Director Carol Beecher stated in a letter that Daniel J. Sullivan’s candidacy was not made in good faith but rather to mislead voters and compromise the ballot’s fairness. She noted that he attempted to file under the name ‘Dan Sullivan,’ which he had never used to vote, and even tried to use ‘S’ as his middle initial, aligning with the incumbent senator. Additionally, Beecher highlighted similarities between the two campaign websites, indicating a deliberate appropriation of Sen. Sullivan’s campaign identity.
Senator Dan Sullivan accused Democrats of involvement in trying to mislead Alaskan voters, suggesting it was an attempt to influence the election. The National Republican Senatorial Committee and Alaska Republicans backed efforts to remove Daniel J. Sullivan from the ballot. Republican Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom initiated an investigation into the candidate’s eligibility last week.
Beecher’s statements mentioned that one of Daniel J. Sullivan’s political consultants has connections to the Democratic Party and to Sen. Sullivan’s anticipated Democratic opponent, former Rep. Mary Peltola.
Daniel J. Sullivan has a 30-day period to appeal the decision. The Alaska Senate race is anticipated to be highly competitive as Democrats strive to gain control of the chamber. However, it will be a challenge since President Trump won the state by 13 points in 2024.
Kaia Hubbard also contributed to this report.