Alaska Supreme Court puts Petersburg's Dan Sullivan back on August ballot

The Alaska Supreme Court ruled June 29 that a retired teacher from Petersburg sharing the incumbent's name must appear on the August 18 primary ballot alongside U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, affirming a Superior Court order and rejecting a disqualification the Division of Elections had issued two weeks earlier.

The ruling holds that the division lacked authority to disqualify the challenger on the grounds it used. Division Director Carol Beecher had disqualified challenger Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. on June 15, concluding his candidacy was not filed in good faith and was intended to confuse voters. Beecher cited his recent switch to Republican affiliation, similarities between his campaign website and the senator's, and his work with a consultant whose clients included some Democrats.

Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthews ruled June 26 that the division had abused its discretion by applying a "good faith" standard not found in the Alaska Constitution, state law, or the division's own regulations. The Supreme Court affirmed that ruling June 29, remanding to the division only the question of how to list the challenger's name on the ballot under existing ballot-design law.

Both Dan Sullivans will be on the August 18 primary ballot. Alaska uses a top-four nonpartisan primary, meaning all qualified candidates compete together and the top four advance to the ranked-choice general election. That system shapes how two candidates with identical names could affect vote distribution.

The incumbent's campaign called the ruling a setback. Campaign spokesperson Nate Adams said: "We're disappointed in the court's decision because as the sham candidate Dan J. Sullivan's lawyers made clear in their legal arguments, the only reason he is running is to deceive voters and manipulate Alaska's election system. However, we are encouraged by the fact that the Director of the Division of Elections will be able to use her expertise to differentiate between the Petersburg fraud and the incumbent — Senator Dan Sullivan — to the benefit of Alaska voters."

The Division of Elections must now format the ballot so voters can tell the two candidates apart before August 18.