Alaska Supreme Court Allows Second Dan Sullivan on Senate Ballot

The Alaska Supreme Court on Monday ordered that Dan J. Sullivan, a former teacher who entered the Senate race in May, be listed on the upcoming primary ballot alongside incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan. The decision resolves a series of challenges filed by state Republicans who argued that the challenger was not a "good-faith" candidate and could confuse voters.

Republican officials claimed the candidacy was part of a scheme to split the Sullivan vote and cited the challenger’s recent Republican registration, a campaign website resembling the incumbent’s, and prior donations to Democratic candidates. State Democrats and Senate candidate Mary Peltola denied any coordination with Dan J. Sullivan.

A lower court had previously reinstated the candidate, finding no statutory basis for excluding a candidate on "good-faith" grounds. The Supreme Court affirmed that ruling and instructed the elections division to list the two Sullivans in accordance with existing ballot design rules, allowing officials to differentiate the names if necessary.

"Despite the division’s assertion that Mr. Sullivan may be excluded from the ballot because he lacks ‘good-faith’, there is no statute which provides such a criterion," the lower-court judge wrote.

The ruling comes as Alaska’s primary ballot preparation deadline approaches, with the race viewed as potentially pivotal in the broader contest for control of Congress.