(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) A same-name challenger to Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, is not eligible to run in the primary after state officials determined on Monday that he launched his campaign to confuse voters.
The Alaska Division of Elections ruled that the candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan, did not properly file his candidacy because it was not submitted in good faith as mandated by state law.
Republicans accused Daniel J. Sullivan of filing as a Republican challenger to mislead voters by exploiting the similarity to Sen. Sullivan’s name.
In practice, Republican voters could likely have confused the challenger with the incumbent senator, potentially benefiting Democrats.
Sen. Sullivan’s seat is viewed as one of the most competitive in the 2026 midterm elections. Alaska uses an open primary system where the top four candidates advance to the November election under ranked-choice voting.
In a letter, Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher wrote that Daniel J. Sullivan’s paperwork was not properly filed “because it was not filed in order to declare an actual good-faith candidacy for the office of United States Senator.”
Instead, Beecher wrote, the filing was made “with a purpose to confuse or mislead and to thereby compromise the ballot’s fairness or neutrality.”
According to Beecher, Sullivan sought to appear on the open primary ballot under the name “Dan Sullivan,” despite never registering under that name. He had previously registered as “Daniel J. Sullivan, Jr.”
He also requested to appear as a Republican-affiliated candidate despite not being a registered member of the party in the past, Beecher wrote.
Alaska officials also took issue with the similarities between Daniel J. Sullivan’s campaign website and that of the incumbent senator. The challenger also reportedly worked with a consultant with ties to Democratic candidates.
While Daniel J. Sullivan pushed back against the allegations, he did not suggest he would pursue legal action or appeal the decision.
“I am a qualified candidate who followed the rules and filed to run for office under my legal name,” he claimed. “Yet, unsupported accusations have been given credibility while political operatives continue their effort to keep me off the ballot. Alaskans have every reason to ask whether this process is being driven by politics rather than by a fair application of the law.”
The investigation was launched June 8 by Alaska Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom. As part of the probe, Daniel J. Sullivan was asked to submit a sworn statement attesting that he had not communicated with any Democratic candidate or campaign regarding his decision to enter the race.
It is unclear whether Daniel J. Sullivan’s conduct rises to the level of a state offense or implicates federal statutes. Headline USA has reached out to Alaska Assistant Attorney General Cori Mills for comment via email.
The primary is set to take place on Aug. 18, 2026.
