Alaska Supreme Court Allows Both Republican Dan Sullivans on Primary Ballot

The Alaska Supreme Court ruled on Monday that a man with the same name and party affiliation as Republican Senator Dan Sullivan is eligible to run for the seat, and ordered election officials to place him on the August primary ballot. The decision came hours after oral arguments and just days after state court Judge Thomas Matthews found that the division of elections had abused its discretion by removing the challenger.

In a brief ruling, the Supreme Court affirmed Matthews' decision but sent back the issue of how the challenger's name should appear on the ballot, "within the confines of existing Alaska ballot design law." The court said a full opinion would be issued later.

The ruling likely closes a bizarre saga that has enveloped Alaska's closely contested Senate election. Republicans argued that the 70-year-old challenger, Dan Sullivan, only filed his candidacy as an interference tactic against Senator Sullivan, and the party moved to block him.

State election officials had previously determined that the challenger acted in bad faith, noting he had never been affiliated with the Republican party before and registered to vote as "Daniel J Sullivan Jr" but chose the nickname "Dan" and the Republican affiliation. Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher wrote that the challenger's website closely resembled the incumbent's campaign site and that he had worked with a Democratic political consultant who supported Senator Sullivan's leading Democratic opponent, Mary Peltola.

The challenger, a former teacher, claims he has long used the nickname "Dan" and denies accusations that his campaign is intended to confuse voters. He also denied coordinating with Peltola, a claim the Peltola campaign also denied.