Alaska voters may soon have two candidates named Dan Sullivan vying for the U.S. Senate nomination on the primary ballot following a judicial reversal of a prior ruling that excluded one candidate.
Judge Thomas A. Matthews of the Alaska Superior Court ruled late Friday that Dan J. Sullivan cannot be barred from the Republican primary ballot, overturning the Alaska Division of Elections’ initial decision to remove him. The court found no legal basis in state statutes or the U.S. Constitution to disqualify him under the vague “good-faith” standard applied by election officials.
The judge’s decision, which is likely to face an appeal to the Alaska Supreme Court, has sparked political tension. Democrats may benefit from the ruling, while Republicans argue Dan J. Sullivan’s candidacy could split the Republican vote and inadvertently aid Democratic challenger Mary Peltola in the November general election.
Dan J. Sullivan, a recent Republican registrant and former Petersburg resident, acknowledges he entered the race to unseat incumbent Senator Dan S. Sullivan. He has dismissed concerns about voter confusion, asserting that primary voters are “savvy” enough to distinguish between the two. His legal team argued that no state law permits election officials to use subjective “good-faith” criteria to disqualify candidates.
Critics point to Dan J. Sullivan’s financial ties to Democratic-aligned candidates, including former Representative Mary Peltola and progressive influencer Kat Abughazaleh. Metadata on his campaign announcement also allegedly links to a Democratic consultant. Despite these concerns, Judge Matthews ruled such evidence insufficient to establish ballot eligibility violations.
Election officials maintained they were obligated to “preserve electoral integrity,” though legal experts note no statutory foundation for their exclusionary approach. Dan J. Sullivan’s lawyers countered that voters should be trusted to navigate multiple candidates with clarity, suggesting ballot disambiguation via middle initials would suffice.
Kellen Browning contributed reporting.
