Alaska election official bars candidate sharing incumbent's name from Senate primary ballot

Alaska's Division of Elections announced that a candidate who filed to run for U.S. Senate under the name Daniel J. Sullivan will not appear on the August primary ballot. Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher said the filing was not made in good faith and appeared intended to confuse voters, violating the state's neutrality standards. Beecher noted that the challenger changed his party affiliation to Republican only after filing and that his campaign materials closely resembled those of the incumbent.

The decision, issued on Monday, allows the challenger to appeal, but ballots are scheduled to be printed on June 28. The challenger, a 69-year-old retired teacher from Petersburg, said he will consider an appeal and maintains that his candidacy is legitimate. He described the lieutenant governor's investigation as an attempt to protect the incumbent senator.

"The Lieutenant Governor’s job is to oversee elections fairly and impartially. Instead, her actions create the impression that the state government is being used to protect an incumbent senator from facing competition at the ballot box," the challenger said in a statement.

Republican Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom opened an inquiry after receiving a letter from the National Republican Senatorial Committee alleging coordination with Democratic candidates. Alaska Republican Party Chair Carmela Warfield also filed complaints seeking the challenger’s disqualification.

Sen. Dan Sullivan’s campaign manager praised the lieutenant governor for defending a "free and fair election." The Senate race, featuring incumbent Sullivan and Democratic former Rep. Mary Peltola, is viewed as pivotal for control of the chamber.

Protesters gathered outside the Division of Elections office on Friday, arguing that the issue could have been resolved by using middle initials to differentiate the candidates rather than removing the challenger from the ballot.