Court Allows Same‑Name Challenger to Run Against Senator Dan Sullivan in August Primary

A man sharing the name and party affiliation of Alaska Republican U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan is now eligible to run against him in the August primary, a judge has ruled.

Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthews overturned a June 15 decision by Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher that had barred the challenger from the primary ballot. The decision is subject to appeal before the state Supreme Court.

State attorneys have indicated that Tuesday is the final deadline for a ruling to ensure ballots for the August 18 primary can be printed.

The judge determined that the division’s exclusion of Dan J. Sullivan on the grounds of lacking “good faith” was not grounded in the Constitution, Alaska statutes, or the division’s own regulations.

The retired teacher from the fishing community of Petersburg has filed to challenge the incumbent.

“Instead, the decision rested on a new, previously unarticulated ‘good faith’ standard,” the judge wrote.

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