Alaska Election Officials Tentatively Bar Challenger Dan Sullivan from Senate Ballot

The Alaska Division of Elections announced Wednesday that a retired teacher from Petersburg, also named Dan Sullivan, does not meet eligibility requirements to run against incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan. Elections Division Director Carol Beecher wrote that “the preponderance of evidence does not support your eligibility for the office of United States Senator,” though the notice did not detail the evidence and is considered preliminary.

The challenger, who filed his candidacy under the same name and party label as the incumbent, said he will seek legal counsel and remains confident he will appear on the ballot. “I’m just going to stay the course and I’m assuming this attempt will fail and I’ll be on the ballot,” he said.

Senator Sullivan and the National Republican Senatorial Committee argue the duplicate filing could confuse voters. They also note the challenger’s past contributions to Democratic candidates and his hiring of a campaign staffer with ties to Democrats, suggesting he is not a true Republican.

Election-law attorney Scott Kendall, who previously represented the senator, said “some number of voters — dozens, hundreds, or thousands — will attempt to vote for Sen. Sullivan and will fail because of this trick,” and called the state’s action “an extreme remedy.” He suggested that adding incumbency labels or middle initials could resolve any potential confusion.

The state has given the challenger one day to respond to the preliminary determination.