Alaska Supreme Court Orders Inclusion of Challenger Dan J. Sullivan on Senate Primary Ballot

The Alaska Supreme Court on Monday affirmed a lower-court decision that a challenger named Dan J. Sullivan is eligible to run for the U.S. Senate seat and must be listed on the August primary ballot. The court sent the matter back to the Division of Elections to determine how the candidate should be presented under existing ballot-design rules, and said a full opinion will follow.

Jeffrey Robinson, the challenger’s attorney, thanked the court and said the division will comply with the ballot-design requirements. A spokesperson for the state Department of Law noted that officials appreciated the swift ruling and will work to implement it.

Sen. Dan Sullivan’s campaign expressed disappointment but said the decision allows the challenger, identified as retired teacher Dan J. Sullivan of Petersburg, to “use her expertise to differentiate between the Petersburg fraud and the incumbent — Senator Dan Sullivan — to the benefit of Alaska voters.”

The Division of Elections had previously removed the challenger, arguing his filing was not made in good faith and was intended to confuse voters. State Judge Thomas Matthews rejected that reasoning, stating the decision was not grounded in constitutional or statutory criteria for Senate eligibility.

The dispute has unfolded amid a closely watched Senate race that could affect partisan control of the chamber. The primary will advance the top four vote-getters, regardless of party, to a ranked-choice general election in November.

The challenger, 69, told reporters he entered the race out of frustration with the incumbent and does not intend to mislead voters. Attorneys for the challenger argued that the Division’s “good-faith” standard was legally unsupportable, while state attorneys suggested using a middle initial or a nonpartisan label to avoid confusion. The court’s order leaves the final ballot format to be decided by the Division of Elections.