Alaska Elections Director Carol Beecher Bars Daniel J. Sullivan From Senate Ballot

Alaska elections director Carol Beecher ruled on Monday that a U.S. Senate candidate named Daniel J. Sullivan is ineligible for the state’s August primary ballot, saying his declaration of candidacy “was not filed in order to declare an actual good-faith candidacy for the office of United States Senator.”

“The head of the Alaska Division of Elections said Monday that the state will not allow Dan J”

Anchorage Daily News

Beecher concluded the filing “was instead filed with a purpose to confuse or mislead and to thereby compromise the ballot’s fairness or neutrality,” and the challenger can appeal the ruling.

Anchorage Daily News

The decision was tied to the challenger’s same name and party affiliation as Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan, with the kerfuffle set off by the challenger Sullivan filing days before the June 1 candidate deadline.

AP reported that Sen. Sullivan and Republicans called the challenger a “sham” candidate and alleged he was working with Democrats to boost Democratic former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola’s chances, while both the challenger Sullivan and Peltola’s campaign denied the allegation.

CBS News said Beecher noted that at one point Daniel J. Sullivan tried to file as just “Dan Sullivan,” despite never using that iteration of his name to vote, and that she also cited similarities between the two campaign websites.

The ruling drew immediate political pushback, with Sen. Sullivan’s campaign manager Bill Mackey lauding the lieutenant governor for upholding a “free and fair election” while opposing the challenger’s presence on the ballot.

In a statement carried by NBC News, Mackey said, “Every Alaskan has the right to a free and fair election, free from deception and gamesmanship,” and thanked Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom for ensuring Alaskans could choose their next senator “without a sham candidate.”

AP News

CNN reported that the challenger Sullivan posted on social media that he “met the qualification and I entered this race because I am unhappy with the 12 year record of the current Senator and I feel we need a change.”

AP News described how protesters gathered outside the Division of Elections office in Juneau opposing efforts to remove the challenger Sullivan from the ballot, including Ben Muse of Juneau.

CBS News said the sitting senator brought the situation to reporters’ attention at the Capitol earlier this month, accusing Democrats of being “complicit in trying to trick Alaskans” to “rig an election in their favor.”

Beecher’s letter gave the challenger 30 days to appeal the decision, while ballots were due to be printed June 28, according to AP News and NBC News.

“Only one Dan Sullivan can run in Alaska's primary election, official says How many Dan Sullivans are allowed to run in a Senate race in Alaska”

BBC

The Hill reported that Beecher wrote she was unable to maintain the challenger’s declaration and “de-certifying your candidacy for United States Senator,” while also citing Alaska Statute 15.25.060.

Anchorage Daily News said the Division of Elections issued a preliminary decision last Wednesday and that Beecher wrote state statute prevents her from placing a name on the ballot “in a manner that is confusing or misleading to voters or compromises the fairness or neutrality of the ballot.”

CBS News said Beecher noted Daniel J. Sullivan even tried to list “S” as his middle initial, and that she pointed to a political consultant with ties to the Democratic Party and Sen. Sullivan’s expected Democratic challenger, former Rep. Mary Peltola.

With Alaska’s primary scheduled for Aug. 18 under a ranked-choice system, the disqualification leaves “only one Dan Sullivan” on the ballot, as NBC News put it, with the race expected to be among the most competitive as Democrats seek to flip the seat.