The Alaska Supreme Court ruled Monday that a man sharing the name and Republican affiliation of Senator Dan Sullivan is eligible to appear on the state’s August primary ballot.
The decision followed a Monday hearing, coming shortly after Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthews had concluded that the Division of Elections had abused its discretion by removing the challenger from the ballot. The Supreme Court upheld Judge Matthews’ ruling but remanded to the Division the task of determining how the challenger’s name should appear on the ballot, consistent with existing Alaska ballot‑design law.
The ruling appears to end a convoluted saga surrounding the closely watched Senate contest. Republicans contended that the 70‑year‑old challenger, also named Dan Sullivan, filed his candidacy solely to interfere with the incumbent’s campaign and moved to keep him off the ballot.
The Supreme Court’s order, only about a paragraph in length, confirmed the challenger’s right to run and instructed the Division of Elections to decide how his name should be displayed on the ballot under existing state ballot‑design statutes.
The court said a full written opinion would be issued at a later date.
The decision reversed an earlier determination by the Alaska Division of Elections, which had concluded that the challenger acted in bad faith by registering under the name “Dan S. Sullivan” despite previously being listed as “Daniel J. Sullivan, Jr.” and lacking prior Republican affiliation.
Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher said, “I conclude that the preponderance of the evidence shows you adopted this nickname and party affiliation because it matches another candidate’s name and party.”
Beecher added that the challenger’s website closely resembled the incumbent’s campaign site and that he had worked with a Democratic consultant who supported Senator Sullivan’s leading Democratic opponent, Mary Peltola.
Sullivan, a former teacher, maintains that he has long used the nickname “Dan” and denies any intent to confuse voters with his candidacy.
Sullivan further denied coordinating with Peltola, and the Peltola campaign has likewise disavowed any collaboration.
The Associated Press contributed reporting
