Alaska's elections chief has barred a former teacher named Dan Sullivan from running against Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan, concluding the candidacy was designed to deceive voters rather than represent a genuine campaign.
Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. filed to run as a Republican in Alaska's US Senate race, triggering immediate Republican complaints that he had coordinated with Democrats to split the vote and confuse voters. State elections director Carol Beecher rejected the bid Monday, saying the evidence showed Sullivan "was not filed in order to declare an actual good-faith candidacy" but rather "to confuse or mislead and to thereby compromise the ballot's fairness."
Beecher's investigation uncovered several red flags. Sullivan does not typically go by "Dan," had only recently switched to Republican registration, operated a campaign website resembling the senator's, and employed a consultant with long ties to Democratic causes and to Mary Peltola, the former congresswoman expected to challenge Sullivan in November.
"I conclude that the preponderance of the evidence is that you chose this new nickname and party affiliation because that name and party affiliation happen to be the name and party affiliation of another candidate in the race," Beecher wrote in her decision letter.
Sullivan disputed the ruling, telling the New York Times that election officials were protecting an incumbent from competition. He denied coordinating with Peltola and defended his use of the "Dan" nickname, saying he has long employed it and that he bears no resemblance to the senator. His campaign website includes his own photos, Sullivan argued, making confusion unlikely.
"The people of Alaska are fully capable of deciding for themselves who should represent them in Washington," Sullivan said in a statement. "If Senator Sullivan believes he has served Alaska well during his 12 years in office, he should make that case directly to voters. He should not rely on government officials or legal maneuvers to limit who can challenge him."
Sullivan also claimed the National Republican Senatorial Committee was using election officials as pawns to remove him from the ballot. Peltola's campaign denied any coordination with the other candidate.
The Republican National Committee hailed Beecher's decision as a victory for election integrity, dubbing Sullivan "Decoy Dan" and calling his removal a win against what it characterized as a Democratic plot. RNC chairman Joe Gruters said the ruling would "protect Alaskans from an unprecedented attack on our democracy."
Alaska's Senate race ranks among the nation's most competitive. The state uses a non-partisan primary on August 18, with the top four vote-getters advancing to a November general election that employs ranked-choice voting.
Sullivan has the right to challenge Beecher's determination in court, though primary ballots are scheduled to print June 28, leaving little time for legal action. Beecher, a Republican, oversees elections under Republican lieutenant governor Nancy Dahlstrom.
Author James Rodriguez: "The shell game angle is hard to ignore, but the timing and the consultant connections make the case pretty straightforward for why Beecher pulled the plug."
Comments