Alaska's election director has barred a Republican candidate named Dan Sullivan from competing in the state's August primary, citing his effort to confuse voters in a race against the incumbent U.S. Senator also named Dan Sullivan.
Carol Beecher, director of the Division of Elections, issued the disqualification Monday in a letter to the challenger, saying his candidacy was not filed in good faith. She wrote that his declaration to run appeared designed "to confuse or mislead and to thereby compromise the ballot's fairness or neutrality."
The state received two complaints from Alaska Republican Party chairman about the challenger's eligibility. After giving him until the evening of June 11 to respond, Beecher found multiple red flags that suggested intentional ballot manipulation.
The challenger requested ballot access as "Dan Sullivan" despite being registered to vote as "Daniel J. Sullivan, Jr." Beecher noted he initially asked to appear as "Dan S. Sullivan" on the ballot, using the same middle initial as the senator. In her letter, Beecher pointed out that "'S' is Senator Sullivan's middle initial, not yours."
Other evidence of the scheme included a campaign website using a color scheme and format nearly identical to Senator Sullivan's site. The challenger had also joined the Republican Party just two days before announcing his candidacy, according to election records. Additionally, he hired a political consultant with a documented history of supporting Democratic candidates.
The disqualified Sullivan posted on Facebook Sunday defending his right to run, writing: "Should every American be allowed to run for any political office if they are qualified? Should a candidate's chances of winning an election disqualify them from trying? Should a person's given name be a qualifier to be on a ballot?" He claimed he entered the race because of dissatisfaction with Senator Sullivan's 12-year record.
He has 30 days to appeal, though ballots are scheduled for printing June 28. The primary election is set for August 18.
Senator Sullivan's re-election campaign seized on the disqualification Monday. Campaign manager Bill Mackey said the decision protected Alaskans from "deception and gamesmanship" and thanked Lt. Governor Nancy Dahlstrom, whose office oversees the Division of Elections, for investigating the challenger's candidacy.
The senator had accused his main Democratic opponent, Representative Mary Peltola, and national Democrats of orchestrating the challenger's entry into the race. Peltola's campaign denied involvement through spokesman Harry Child, saying they had no connection "with either Sullivan campaign."
Alaska uses a ranked-choice voting system where the top four finishers in the primary, regardless of party, advance to November's general election.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "This was ballot chaos waiting to happen, and the state's election chief saw it coming a mile away."
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