Only one Dan Sullivan remains on the Alaska U.S. Senate ballot.
Dan J. Sullivan, a Republican candidate who shares the same first and last name as Senator Dan S. Sullivan, was declared ineligible to run for the U.S. Senate on Monday by the state director of elections.
State Republicans alleged that Democrats attempted to muddle voters by adding Dan J. Sullivan, a former teacher, to the race, potentially siphoning votes from the incumbent and aiding Democratic challenger Mary Peltola. Both Peltola and Sullivan have denied any coordination, and Sullivan maintains his candidacy was a sincere effort.
Republican election officials contested this view. Lieutenant Governor Nancy Dahlstrom initiated an investigation into Sullivan’s candidacy last week, and Carol Beecher, the state elections director, issued a preliminary ruling on Wednesday indicating she would remove him from the ballot unless he provided convincing proof of his eligibility.
On Monday, Beecher noted that she had not received any such evidence.
Beecher wrote, “A declaration of candidacy intended to confuse or mislead voters and undermine the fairness of the ballot is not properly filed,” adding, “I am de‑certifying your candidacy for United States Senator.”
Beecher cited several grounds for her decision, including his effort to appear on the ballot as “Dan Sullivan” instead of his registered name “Daniel J. Sullivan, Jr.,” which she said was an attempt to confuse voters about his identity.
She added, “Indeed, you seemed confused when you first emailed the Division requesting to be listed as ‘Dan S. Sullivan,’ since ‘S’ is the senator’s middle initial, not yours,” Beecher wrote.
Beecher also pointed out that he registered as a Republican only days before filing to run, that he has been working with a long‑time Democratic consultant, and that his campaign website’s design and color palette closely matched the incumbent senator’s.
Beecher wrote that Sullivan has 30 days to appeal the decision, though ballots are slated for printing on June 28, leaving uncertainty about whether he must secure an appeal before that date to remain on the ballot.
Republican leaders promptly praised the ruling. “Alaskans can select their next senator without a fraudulent candidate whose sole aim was to confuse voters, disrespect Alaskans, and tilt the election in Peltola’s favor,” the incumbent senator’s campaign said in a statement.
Neither Peltola’s campaign nor Sullivan responded promptly to inquiries. Earlier, Sullivan said, “I am a qualified candidate who complied with all filing requirements under my legal name. Nevertheless, unsubstantiated accusations have been given undue weight while political operatives persist in trying to exclude me from the ballot.”
