An Alaska official ruled that Republican challenger Dan J. Sullivan is ineligible to appear on the same ballot as incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, after Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom cited “credible accusations” that his late filing may have been coordinated with Democratic candidate Mary Peltola to confuse voters. Dan J. Sullivan denies any coordination and says he followed the rules; Peltola’s campaign denies involvement. The RNC criticized the challenger’s ties to Democrats. Alaska’s Aug. 18 ranked-choice primary will send the top four candidates to November’s general election.
Alaska Blocks 'Decoy Dan' From Ballot, Ending GOP Claims of a Democratic Trick
Dan Sullivan vs. Dan Sullivan: Why Republicans Think One Is Trying To Trick Voters
An Alaska official on Monday ruled that Dan J. Sullivan, a Republican challenger, is ineligible to appear on the ballot alongside incumbent U.S. Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, resolving a contentious dispute that had GOP leaders accusing Democrats of attempting to confuse voters.
Lieutenant Governor’s Finding. On June 8, Alaska Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, a Republican, informed Dan J. Sullivan that there were “credible accusations” he coordinated his late filing with Democratic contender Mary Peltola to capitalize on sharing a name and party affiliation with the incumbent. Dahlstrom wrote that if the allegations were true they would amount to “deception of voters” and could “diminish the rights of another candidate” by diverting valid votes.
Responses From Campaigns and Parties. Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher who filed three days before the June filing deadline, denied any wrongdoing and told The New York Times he followed the rules and used his legal name. “That’s not how elections should work,” he said, asserting the process should be applied fairly rather than driven by politics.
“Alaskans can rest easy that their leaders will never tolerate blatant attempts to mislead voters and rig elections like Democrats’ Decoy Dan Scam,” said RNC Chair Joe Gruters after the ruling.
Peltola’s campaign issued a statement to HuffPost saying it had “no involvement with either Sullivan campaign.” The Republican National Committee, however, accused the challenger of ties to Democrats, pointing to reports about his son’s party registration and the political sympathies of his campaign manager.
Election Context. Alaska’s primary on Aug. 18 is a ranked-choice, nonpartisan contest in which the top four vote-getters, regardless of party, advance to the November general election. With the official ruling, the immediate question of whether two Republicans named Dan Sullivan would appear on the same ballot has been settled, though partisan criticism and questions about campaign ties remain.
Bottom Line. The decision removes the potentially confusing ballot matchup and underscores tensions over candidate filings and election administration in a high-profile Senate race.
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