Alaska’s legal boots are mounting a challenge of the same name to Sen. Dan Sullivan from the poll
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Alaska’s top election official has named a Republican challenger of the same name to Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, from Monday’s primary, concluded that the campaign appeared to be designed to confuse voters.
Director of the Division of Elections Carol Beecher removed Dan J. Sullivan from the hotly contested Senate race over concerns that his nomination “was filed with the intent to confuse or mislead and thereby undermine the fairness or impartiality of the vote,” in a letter published Monday.
Dan J. Sullivan, a retired school teacher who filed for the Republican Senate despite not aligning himself with the GOP, may challenge the decision, Beecher wrote.
The letter caps weeks of anger from the GOP, arguing that the entry of political youth into the race just days before the filing deadline was a secret effort by Democrats to recruit a “fraud” candidate in the race to confuse voters.
Newly introduced Senate candidate Dan Sullivan, left, pictured with Sen. Dan Sullivan, D-Alaska, right. (US Senate Sullivan; Brandon Bell-Pool/Getty Images)
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Under Alaska’s advanced voting system, if Dan J. Sullivan had been allowed to remain on the August primary ballot, he and Dan S. Sullivan, his alternate, would have advanced to the general election among the top four vote-getters.
Democrats view Alaska as a potential opportunity as the party makes a brief bid to retake control of the upper chamber during the midterms. Incumbent Sullivan is running for a third term in the Senate against former Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, who was recruited by Senate Minerals Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., in a battleground contest.
Beecher cited several details about Dan J. Sullivan’s campaign that led to his conclusion that it was not filed in “good faith.”
The political newcomer asked to appear on the ballot as “Dan Sullivan” despite registering to vote under the name “Daniel J. Sullivan, Jr.,” according to the letter. A more ambitious candidate also tried to register with the incumbent’s initials at one point, according to Beecher’s letter.
“‘S’ is Senator Sullivan’s middle initial, not yours,” Beecher wrote.
The election official also noted that Dan J. Sullivan did not register as a Republican before launching his Senate campaign and that his new website uses a “color scheme and overall theme” similar to the incumbent’s campaign materials.
Additionally, Beecher discussed Dan J. Sullivan’s connection to Amber Lee, an Alaska Democratic coordinator who once supported Peltola. Metadata for the campaign launch identified a Democratic operative as its author, Fox News Digital previously reported.
Former Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, is running to unseat Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan in the 2026 midterm elections. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)
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“This intermediary’s work on your behalf is, in isolation, innocent,” Beecher wrote. “Besides the other facts I have written in this letter, however, it suggests a deliberate and deliberate attempt to use the likeness of your name to confuse Alaska voters in the upcoming primary election.”
The Dan J. Sullivan campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Incumbent Sullivan previously criticized his rival of the same name as a “left-wing liberal” who was complicit in Democrats’ efforts to “rigg” the election.
“Did Schumer or Gillibrand and their staff or DSCC or DSCC staff — did they know? Were they coordinating, planning? I mean, if so, that would be a huge shame,” Sullivan told Fox News Digital last week.
Democrats have denied involvement in Dan J. Sullivan’s campaign.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), the campaign arm of Senate Republicans, took a victory lap after urging Beecher to investigate who opposed the same name.
“The people of Alaska have seen through the tactics of Chuck Schumer and Mary Peltola to confuse them and mislead them about a candidate,” NRSC State Press Secretary Nick Puglia said in a statement. “No one brings Alaskans like Senator Dan Sullivan, which is why Alaska’s Last Democrats like Mary Peltola are doing so well.”
Democrats have dismissed allegations that party officials are following Dan J. Sullivan’s campaign. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
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Dan J. Sullivans attempt to qualify for the primary ballot has also drawn heavy criticism from Senate Republicans, who are expected to campaign hard to secure Sullivan’s seat.
“Even at the low level of Chuck Schumer, this was a malicious attempt to deceive Alaska voters and rig the election,” Senate Republican Conference Chairman Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said Monday.
