PETERSBURG, ALASKA — The Alaska Supreme Court ordered that Dan J. Sullivan be included on the ballot for the U.S. Senate primary after state elections officials had removed him over allegations he was a sham candidate. The ruling reverses an earlier determination that Sullivan lacked a good-faith intent to run, allowing him to appear among 16 candidates vying for one of four spots in the state’s ranked-choice general election.

Alaska elections officials initially removed Dan J. Sullivan from the ballot after Carol Beecher, director of the state Division of Elections, concluded he had not filed a “good-faith candidacy.” Beecher cited his lack of prior affiliation with the Republican Party and a campaign website she deemed similar to that of incumbent Senator Dan S. Sullivan as key factors in her decision. A state court judge later voided Beecher’s disqualification, ruling there was not enough evidence to support the conclusion that Dan J. Sullivan aimed to confuse voters.

Dan J. Sullivan shares the same name and party affiliation as incumbent Senator Dan S. Sullivan, though he is listed on the ballot as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. with no party affiliation. The incumbent, listed as Republican Dan S. Sullivan and marked “incumbent,” and Democratic Representative Mary Peltola are the only candidates in the race who have reported raising campaign funds. Alaska holds a single primary open to all candidates, with the top four vote-getters advancing to the general election.

Incumbent Senator Dan S. Sullivan and GOP allies accused Dan J. Sullivan of being a sham candidate working with Democrats to help Mary Peltola win re-election. A lawyer for the National Republican Senatorial Committee asserted that Dan J. Sullivan’s work with a consultant who has worked with Democrats was evidence of an attempt to confuse voters. Republican Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom announced an investigation into Dan J. Sullivan’s candidacy, citing “credible allegations” that he ran in coordination with another candidate to manipulate voters.

Dan J. Sullivan denied the claim that he worked with Democrats to help Mary Peltola. “The allegation I worked with Peltola was entirely false,” Dan J. Sullivan said. The state Democratic Party denied recruiting him or having any affiliation with him, and Peltola’s campaign separately denied coordinating with him.

Dan J. Sullivan, a retired elementary and middle school teacher, has lived in Petersburg, Alaska, for decades. Petersburg is an island community of about 3,000 people in southeast Alaska accessible only by air or water. He said he ran partly because he wanted the incumbent to speak out against a compensation fund proposed by the Trump administration for January 6 rioters. He also expressed concern that President Donald Trump’s tariff policies and the war with Iran are driving up costs for Alaskans. “I want something to change, and it’s my right to do that,” he said. On Independence Day 2026, he did not campaign, explaining, “I didn’t want to turn it into something that was about me rather than about the celebration.”

Why It Matters

The dispute over Dan J. Sullivan’s ballot access highlights tensions in Alaska’s unique electoral system, where a single primary and ranked-choice voting were adopted to reduce partisan polarization. With only two of the 16 Senate candidates reporting fundraising activity, questions about candidate legitimacy and voter intent have drawn heightened scrutiny from state officials. The court’s intervention reaffirms procedural standards for determining good-faith candidacies in a race that could influence control of the U.S. Senate.