Alaska investigates U.S. Senate candidate over name confusion claim

Alaska Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom opened an investigation June 8 into whether U.S. Senate candidate Daniel James Sullivan Jr. of Petersburg filed his declaration of candidacy to confuse voters who share his name with incumbent U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan. The Division of Elections has not decided whether Sullivan can appear on the August 18 primary ballot.

Dahlstrom's notice requested a sworn affidavit from Sullivan answering seven questions about his name, his history with the Republican Party, and any contact he has had with another Senate candidate or an agent of the Democratic Party regarding his filing. She said the Division has a "fundamental obligation to protect the integrity of Alaska's elections" and that Alaskans deserve a thorough investigation to ensure the election is carried out without deception.

Sullivan has already responded. In a June 3 letter to the Division of Elections — filed before Dahlstrom publicly announced the investigation — Sullivan said he is a legitimate Republican candidate and is not trying to trick voters. Sullivan, a retired fifth-grade teacher and longtime Petersburg resident, wrote that he is running "because I am tired of sitting back and watching our current Senator routinely fail to represent the interests of ordinary Alaskans like me."

The legal authority for the investigation is less clearly defined than the announcement suggests. Alaska's election statutes, codified at Title 15, address candidate qualifications, filing procedures, and ballot preparation, but no specific provision addresses candidate-name confusion or authorizes the lieutenant governor to remove a candidate from the ballot on grounds of intent to deceive. Dahlstrom's authority appears to rest on the Division of Elections' broader administrative responsibility to manage the election process — a discretionary basis that contrasts with some other states, where specific statutes or case law explicitly address candidates whose names may cause voter confusion.

Daniel James Sullivan Jr. is the candidate's legal name. He filed for the Senate race in late May. Whether the Division of Elections has authority to remove him from the ballot based on intent — rather than on a qualification deficiency under existing statute — is the question the investigation may ultimately have to answer, even if Dahlstrom concludes the allegations of coordination are substantiated.

The Division of Elections will decide whether Sullivan may remain on the ballot after reviewing his response.