{"id":4173,"date":"2026-06-27T13:04:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T13:04:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=4173"},"modified":"2026-06-27T13:04:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T13:04:15","slug":"man-with-same-name-as-us-sen-dan-sullivan-is-eligible-for-alaskas-primary-ballot-judge-rules","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=4173","title":{"rendered":"Man with same name as US Sen. Dan Sullivan is eligible for Alaska\u2019s primary ballot, judge rules"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\nJUNEAU, Alaska<\/span>AP<\/span>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/cite><\/div>\n

\n A man with the same name and Republican party affiliation as Alaska US Sen. Dan Sullivan is eligible to challenge the senator in the August primary, a judge ruled Friday, the latest turn in a drama surrounding the broader fight over control of the US Senate.\n <\/p>

Read more In Trump\u2019s America, two very different views of Christianity in politics emerge<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthews\u2019 ruling overturns a June 15 decision by Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher to disqualify the challenger and keep him off the primary ballot. Matthews\u2019 ruling can be appealed to the state Supreme Court.\n <\/p>\n

\n Attorneys for the state have said Tuesday is the deadline for a final ruling so that ballots for the Aug. 18 primary can be printed.\n <\/p>\n

\n The judge ruled that the elections division\u2019s decision to exclude Dan J. Sullivan because his candidacy was not \u201cin good faith\u201d was not based on the US Constitution, Alaska law or the Division\u2019s own regulations.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cInstead, the decision was based upon a new, previously unstated, \u2018good faith\u2019 criteria,\u201d the judge wrote.\n <\/p>\n

\n The retired teacher from the small fishing community of Petersburg filed to challenge the incumbent in May.\n <\/p>\n

\n Attorneys for the state did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday\u2019s ruling. Jeffrey Robertson, Dan J. Sullivan\u2019s attorney, said in an email he expects the Division of Elections to appeal the ruling and couldn\u2019t comment until the Alaska Supreme Court rules on the case.\n <\/p>\n

\n The controversy over the two Dan Sullivans has underscored the stakes involved in the incumbent\u2019s reelection campaign. The Alaska race is one of about half a dozen US Senate races expected to be highly competitive in the fall, and the seat is one Democrats are trying to flip in their efforts to try to regain the majority.\n <\/p>\n

\nThe senator and his allies, including the National Republican Senatorial Committee, have condemned the challenger\u2019s efforts to join the race, arguing his presence could confuse voters. Under Alaska\u2019s election system, the top four candidates from the primary, regardless of party, move on to the ranked-choice November general election.\n <\/p>

Read more Trump tamped down fights over abortion and marriage. Conservative activists want to bring them back in 2028<\/a><\/p>\n

\nThe senator has accused the challenger Sullivan of working with Democrats and the campaign of Democratic former US Rep. Mary Peltola \u2014 who is considered the senator\u2019s main opponent \u2014 to sow confusion and boost Peltola\u2019s chances. Peltola\u2019s campaign and state Democrats have denied the allegation, as has the challenger.\n <\/p>\n

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\"Mary<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n
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\nMary Peltola launches her campaign as a Democratic candidate for Senate in Anchorage, Alaska, U.S., January 17, 2026. REUTERS\/Kerry Tasker<\/span>\n<\/div>\n
Kerry Tasker\/Reuters<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n Sen. Sullivan and Peltola are the highest-profile candidates in the crowded race and the only ones to report raising any money.\n <\/p>\n

\n Beecher, the elections director, has said she determined the challenger Sullivan is not eligible to run because his candidacy was not filed in good faith and instead was done with an intent to confuse voters. She said he had registered to vote as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. and, in conjunction with his candidacy, changed his party affiliation to Republican. She also cited similarities between his campaign website and the senator\u2019s, and his work with a consultant whose clients have included some Democrats. She did not mention finding any evidence of alleged coordination.\n <\/p>\n

\n In arguing to keep the challenger disqualified, attorneys for the state pushed back on suggestions the ballot could be designed in a way to reduce voter confusion over two candidates with the same name and party running for the same office.\n <\/p>\n

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\"In<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n
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\nIn this image provided by Karen Dillman, Alaska Senate candidate Dan Sullivan, one of the challengers to the incumbent senator, also named Dan Sullivan, poses on a hike, June 7, 2026, on Kupreanof Island, near Petersburg, Alaska.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n
Karen Dillman\/AP<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n \u201cThe Constitution does not require States to place a sham candidate on the ballot and then attempt to mitigate the damage through design choices,\u201d attorney Rachel Witty, with the Alaska Department of Law, and outside attorneys Christopher Murray and Michael Francisco wrote in court filings.\n <\/p>\n

\nAttorneys for the challenger Sullivan argued that the US Constitution lays out three exclusive qualifications for the Senate, addressing only age, citizenship and residency. They said Beecher lacked the legal authority to boot their client off the ballot.\n <\/p>\n

\n The challenger Sullivan has said that sharing a name and party affiliation with the incumbent gave him \u201can instant megaphone.\u201d But the 69-year-old retired teacher and former U.S. Forest Service employee said he had considered a run for some time and had grown frustrated with the senator.\n <\/p>\n

\n He initially was certified on the state\u2019s candidate list as Dan J. Sullivan, with the senator listed as Dan S. Sullivan and identified as the incumbent.\n <\/p>

Read more How Trump\u2019s takeover fractured America\u2019s birthday party<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Man with same name as US Sen. Dan Sullivan is eligible for Alaska\u2019s primary ballot, judge rules<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1994,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nMan with same name as US Sen. Dan Sullivan is eligible for Alaska\u2019s primary ballot, judge rules - Relocation Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=4173\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Man with same name as US Sen. 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