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A man with the same first and last name as Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) that was removed from the ballot due to that similarity has sued to keep his name listed.
Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., who is not related to the incumbent Sullivan, filed a challenge in Alaska Superior Court on Monday arguing the state cannot legally remove his name from the ballot.
Last week, an Alaskan election official determined Daniel Sullivan is ineligible to appear on the ballot.
“On review of the complaints and other information in the Division’s possession, I conclude that your declaration of candidacy was not properly filed with the Division because it was not filed in order to declare an actual good-faith candidacy for the office of United States Senator, but was instead filed with a purpose to confuse or mislead and to thereby compromise the ballot’s fairness or neutrality,” wrote Carol Beecher, the director of the Division of Elections in the office of Alaska Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom (R), in a letter to the candidate.
But Daniel Sullivan’s Monday appeal says Alaska law does not regulate “the private motivations that draw individuals to declare or campaign for office.”
Upon launching his bid for the GOP Senate nod last month, Daniel Sullivan criticized the incumbent Republican for not putting “Alaska first” and focusing on himself above his constituents.
“It’s time for Alaska to elect a Sullivan that’s on their side,” he added in a press release.
The challenger’s logo bears a resemblance to that of the incumbent, as both are modeled after the Alaskan flag. Daniel Sullivan, a former U.S. Forest Service employee and elementary school teacher, also went by “Dan Sullivan” in his campaign announcement.
His entry into the race prompted questions from the incumbent Sullivan and the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC). Earlier this month, the NRSC asked Alaska officials and the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to probe whether Daniel Sullivan entered the race to confuse voters and subsequently boost Democratic candidate Mary Peltola.
The campaign of Peltola, who was Alaska’s lone member of the house from August 2022 to January 2025, has denied any links to Daniel Sullivan’s campaign.
However, the NRSC complaint to the FEC alleges political strategist Amber Lee helped the challenging Republican launch his campaign for free, in violation of federal law. Lee runs her own strategic marketing firm and has had multiple Democratic clients, according to her website.
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