Petersburg pushed back when the state pulled Sullivan off the ballot

Letters released Tuesday show that when the Alaska Division of Elections struck Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. from the U.S. Senate primary ballot in June, some of the sharpest objections came from his hometown.

Barry and Kathleen Bracken of Petersburg, who say they have known Sullivan more than 40 years, wrote to Division Director Carol Beecher and Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom demanding proof he had filed in bad faith. "Where is your evidence? Show us the facts," Barry Bracken wrote. Another resident noted that two candidates named Dan Sullivan shared the 2014 ballot without objection. State Rep. Robyn Frier asked which statute he had violated and said she got no reply.

The Division, acting on an Alaska Republican Party complaint, had concluded Sullivan filed to confuse voters, citing his lack of prior Republican registration and a website resembling the incumbent's. Beecher told lawmakers the agency acted to prevent ballot manipulation.

The Alaska Supreme Court disagreed and ordered him reinstated. His name is on ballots already in the mail.

The correspondence reflects only those who chose to write; it is not a measure of broader public opinion.