Trump says his side weighs legal options to remove second Sullivan from Alaska ballot

President Donald Trump said Wednesday evening that "we are looking at powerful legal options" to remove Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. of Petersburg from Alaska's U.S. Senate ballot. Alaskans have been voting on that ballot since Oct. 19.

Sullivan Jr.'s name is printed on the ballots voters are casting at early voting sites and by mail for the Nov. 3 election. The last day state law allowed a candidate on that ballot to be replaced was Aug. 31, 64 days before the election. And in June, a Superior Court judge and the Alaska Supreme Court ruled that the state could not keep him off the primary ballot on the grounds it used. He finished third in the primary.

Trump's Truth Social post did not say what legal options he had in mind. In it, he accused Democrats of putting Sullivan Jr. up in a race he called "totally confusing," and called the candidacy a "SCAM" and "CHEATING in an Election." "Even 1, 2, or 3% could make the difference," he wrote.

Trump has endorsed Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, the Republican incumbent. "It's ridiculous that the Court didn't stop this SCAM," he wrote, adding that the judge who allowed it "should be ashamed of himself." The post included a ballot graphic crossing out Sullivan Jr.'s name beside a Democratic donkey.

Trump has weighed in before. He told primary voters in August which Sullivan to mark, and at an Oct. 1 White House event he called Sullivan Jr. "a fraud".

Sullivan Jr. registered as a Republican two days before he filed to run, according to state records. The ballot lists him as "Sullivan, Daniel J. Jr." with no party label, and the senator as "Sullivan, Dan S." with his party and the word "Incumbent." Sullivan Jr., 69, says in his candidate statement that he has lived in Petersburg since 1980 and is a former Forest Service forester and retired teacher. He writes that professional politicians "try to rig the system" by "bullying us off the ballot."

The state tried to keep him off the ballot once. After complaints from the Alaska Republican Party, Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher denied his candidacy June 15, concluding it was not filed in good faith. She cited his request to appear as "Dan Sullivan," the timing of his party switch, a campaign website resembling the senator's, and a consultant on his campaign who was a longtime supporter of Democratic candidates.

His campaign reported owing $4,380.41 to Amber Lee Strategies for "Website Services and Campaign and Digital Consulting" in its pre-primary report to the Federal Election Commission. Amber Lee is listed as a director and secretary of the 907 Initiative, an Alaska nonprofit that has run ads against Sen. Sullivan, in the group's 2026 state corporate filing.

In September, Americans for Public Trust, a conservative group, filed an FEC complaint accusing the campaign and the 907 Initiative of illegal coordination through Lee. The complaint says she was no longer involved in the campaign by mid-August.

Lee has called the complaint "nonsensical," and the 907 Initiative has said it has not worked with Sullivan Jr.

Mary Peltola's campaign, the Alaska Democratic Party and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee have all denied any involvement in his candidacy, Alaska News reported in July. In June, Sullivan Jr. told the state he is running as a Republican and has had no contact with Peltola's campaign. Sen. Sullivan's campaign has called him a "sham candidate."

Anchorage Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthews ruled June 26 that the division abused its discretion by applying a "good faith" test found nowhere in the Constitution, state law or its own rules. The division never disputed that Sullivan Jr. meets the Constitution's age, citizenship and residency requirements, and Matthews wrote that confusion could be addressed by how names are printed on the ballot. The Alaska Supreme Court affirmed June 29.

Four candidates are on the Senate ballot: Peltola, a Democrat; Sen. Sullivan and Gerald L. Heikes, both Republicans; and Sullivan Jr. Peltola led the August primary and Sen. Sullivan finished second. Sullivan Jr. was third, with about 2.5% of the vote. Heikes finished fifth and moved onto the ballot when Democrat David Leslie, who finished fourth, withdrew Aug. 31.