The Alaska Supreme Court has delivered the final blow to Republicans' efforts to keep a Senate challenger by the same name as incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan (R) off the ballot.
In a short order handed down Monday, the court affirmed a ruling from a superior court that Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. must appear on the Aug. 18 primary ballot for U.S. Senate.
'The only reason he is running is to deceive voters and manipulate Alaska’s election system.'
“The 6/26/2026 order of the superior court directing the Division to include appellee Sullivan as a candidate for United States Senator on the primary election ballot is AFFIRMED,” the order said.
The court remanded the matter to the Division of Elections to determine how J. Sullivan should be listed on the primary ballot.
“A full opinion will be issued at a later date,” concluded the order.
Nate Adams, a spokesperson for Sen. Sullivan, released a statement on the ruling: “We’re disappointed in the court’s decision, because, as the sham candidate Dan J. Sullivan’s lawyers made clear in their legal arguments, the only reason he is running is to deceive voters and manipulate Alaska’s election system.”
“However, we are encouraged by the fact that the Director of the Division of Elections will be able to use her expertise to differentiate between the Petersburg fraud and the incumbent — Senator Dan Sullivan — to the benefit of Alaska voters,” Adams added.
J. Sullivan’s campaign expressed approval of the decision in a statement, saying, “We are grateful for the Alaska Supreme Court’s careful and timely attention to this important expedited matter, and its decision to affirm Judge Matthews’ well-reasoned, thorough order vacating the Division’s unlawful decision to exclude me as a candidate. We expect that the Division will act in full compliance with existing Alaska ballot design law in its preparation of the ballots.”
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A 69-year-old retired teacher, J. Sullivan reportedly registered as a Republican earlier this year and entered the race to oust Sen. Sullivan on May 29, just before the deadline for filing.
He has faced accusations from Sen. Sullivan of coordinating with Democrat operatives to sabotage the senator's chances of re-election. Sen. Sullivan told CNN earlier this month that J. Sullivan’s candidacy was effectively a Democrat effort to "cheat" and confuse voters in order to increase Democrat challenger Mary Peltola's odds of winning.
“Democrats recruited a guy by the name of Dan Sullivan. He is a liberal progressive. … He’s donated to Peltola,” Sen. Sullivan said.
He added, “His campaign logo, his letterhead, his website, all had my campaign logo that I’ve had for 13 years.”
In response to J. Sullivan’s candidacy, the National Republican Senatorial Committee and Alaska Republican Party filed complaints with the Federal Election Commission and the state's Division of Elections, respectively.
After Alaska Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom (R) requested an investigation into J. Sullivan’s eligibility, Carol Beecher, the director of the Division of Elections, concluded that J. Sullivan had not filed a genuine "good-faith" candidacy and instead sought to confuse voters by placing two candidates with nearly identical names on the ballot.
J. Sullivan appealed the division's decision to the Superior Court, where Judge Thomas Matthews affirmed that he met all the qualifying criteria set out by the Constitution and therefore Alaska could not impose an additional requirement on his candidacy. The court further concluded that J. Sullivan's alleged motives or political affiliations did not bear on his constitutional eligibility to seek office.
The state appealed the decision to the Alaska Supreme Court, which again ruled in favor of J. Sullivan — officially solidifying his place on Alaska's Aug. 18 nonpartisan primary ballot.
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Republicans in Alaska were dealt a significant blow Friday after a court intervened to keep a Senate challenger on the ballot.
The Superior Court for the State of Alaska in the Third Judicial District has ruled that Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a challenger to Republican incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, must be restored to the primary ballot for U.S. Senate.
'The Division's application of a “good-faith” test to Mr. Sullivan's declaration of candidacy is not supported by the US Constitution, Alaska statutes, or the Division's implementing regulations.'
Judge Thomas Matthews held that the Alaska Division of Elections unlawfully imposed a “good-faith” candidacy requirement on J. Sullivan — a requirement that does not appear in the U.S. Constitution, Alaskan statutes, or division regulations.
J. Sullivan, a 69-year-old retired teacher, reportedly registered as a Republican earlier this year and entered the race to oust Sen. S. Sullivan on May 29, just before the deadline for filing.
In response, the National Republican Senatorial Committee and Alaska Republican Party filed complaints with the Federal Election Commission and the state's division of elections, respectively.
After Alaska Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom (R) requested an investigation into J. Sullivan’s eligibility, Carol Beecher, the director of the Division of Elections, concluded that J. Sullivan had not filed a genuine "good-faith" candidacy and instead sought to confuse voters by placing two candidates with nearly identical names on the ballot — deeming him ineligible to seek the office of senator.
He has also been accused of coordinating with Democrat operatives. Sen. S. Sullivan told CNN earlier this month that J. Sullivan's candidacy was effectively a Democratic effort to "cheat."
J. Sullivan appealed the division's decision to the Superior Court, where Judge Matthews ruled in his favor.
Matthews affirmed that J. Sullivan met all the qualifying criteria set out by the Constitution, and therefore Alaska could not impose an additional requirement on his candidacy. The court further concluded that Sullivan's alleged motives or political affiliations did not bear on his constitutional eligibility to seek office.
“The Division's application of a 'good-faith' test to Mr. Sullivan's declaration of candidacy is not supported by the U.S. Constitution, Alaska statutes, or the Division's implementing regulations. As such, the Division's decision to exclude Mr. Sullivan from the primary ballot is without a legal basis,” Matthews determined.
Matthews argued that ballot design — not exclusion — is the proper remedy for concerns over voter confusion.
“The Division may also design the ballot to facilitate fairness, simplicity, and clarity. But those tools are different from the complete exclusion of a candidate."
The state has appealed the decision to the Alaska Supreme Court, with oral arguments scheduled for Monday. Unless the state high court intervenes, J. Sullivan will appear on Alaska's Aug. 18 nonpartisan primary ballot.
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Marine veteran and former Alaska Attorney General Daniel S. Sullivan has served in the U.S. Senate since 2015 and is now seeking re-election. The Anchorage-based Republican's route to victory is anything but assured, especially with Democratic challenger and former Rep. Mary Peltola leading him in recent polls.
The Alaska Division of Elections appears, however, to be eliminating at least one obstacle to Sullivan's success in the Last Frontier's Aug. 18 nonpartisan top-four primary, namely Daniel J. Sullivan of Petersburg.
'The preponderance of evidence does not support your eligibility.'
J. Sullivan, a 69-year-old retired teacher who was born in the Midwest, reportedly registered as a Republican earlier this year and entered the race to oust Sen. S. Sullivan on May 29, just before the deadline for filing.
The namesake challenger said that he had "every right to stand up and do this" and characterized himself as a "pragmatic Republican centrist."
The newly minted Republican's candidacy didn't pass the smell test where Sen. S. Sullivan, other Alaska Republicans, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee were concerned.
Sen. S. Sullivan told CNN earlier this month that J. Sullivan's candidacy was effectively a Democratic effort to "cheat."
The senator said, "Democrats recruited a guy by the name of Dan Sullivan. He is a liberal progressive, right. We've seen it — his donations to all the far-left groups. He's donated to Peltola, OK. His whole purpose of running is to confuse Alaskans."
Alaska's News Source confirmed that a Dan Sullivan with a Petersburg zip code had previously donated to Peltola campaigns — in 2022 and in 2024. A spokesman for Peltola's campaign has denied involvement with J. Sullivan's Senate bid.
The NRSC filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission on June 6, stating that "there is reason to believe Daniel J. Sullivan and Amber Lee of Amber Lee Strategies have engaged in a coordinated scheme to launch a U.S. Senate candidacy in violation of the Federal Election Act's prohibition on fraudulent misrepresentation of campaign authority at 52 U.S.C. §30124."
Blake Murphy, general counsel for the NRSC, noted in the complaint that:
Murphy suggested that the purpose of J. Sullivan and Lee's alleged fraudulent misrepresentation was to "deceive and mislead Alaskan voters to the detriment of another candidate."
The NRSC asked the FEC to investigate the matter and — in the event that wrongdoing is confirmed and found willful — refer it to the Justice Department for further review.
The Alaska Republican Party separately filed a pair of complaints with the state's Division of Election. One of the complaints claimed that J. Sullivan's candidacy was improper because his declaration of candidacy said he was affiliated with the GOP despite having an "undeclared" political affiliation at the time, reported the Anchorage Daily News.
Alaska Lt. Gov Nancy Dahlstrom notified J. Sullivan on June 8 that she had requested an investigation into his eligibility, claiming that the allegations against him were credible.
On Wednesday, Carol Beecher, director of the Division of Elections, delivered the namesake challenger some bad news, writing, "Based on a review of the evidence presented and in the [Division of Elections'] possession, the Division has determined that the preponderance of evidence does not support your eligibility for the office of United States senator."
Beecher gave J. Sullivan until 5 p.m. on Thursday to respond to the Alaska GOP's complaints, after which time she said a final determination would be made.
The namesake challenger said in response that Dahlstrom's "actions create the impression that the state government is being used to protect an incumbent senator from facing competition at the ballot box. That's not how elections should work."
"I am a qualified candidate who followed the rules and filed to run for office under my legal name. Yet, unsupported accusations have been given credibility while political operatives continue their effort to keep me off the ballot," continued J. Sullivan. "The people of Alaska are fully capable of deciding for themselves who should represent them in Washington."
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!We’re learning a lesson that should be unmistakably clear as the world watches instability ripple outward from the Middle East: Geography still matters.
The war with Iran and the ever-present threat of disruptions at the Strait of Hormuz are exposing how fragile global energy supply chains have become. When choke points half a world away can rattle prices at the pump throughout the nation, it is time to rethink how and where America produces its energy.
Alaska offers our nation something rare: stability, security, and strength without choke points.
That rethink points north to Alaska.
Roughly a fifth of the world’s oil moves through the Strait of Hormuz. When tensions rise, insurance rates surge, shipping slows, and prices spike. Families feel it immediately, particularly young families already struggling with affordability. These price shocks do not stem from resource scarcity; they stem from dependence on unstable routes and hostile actors.
What Alaska has is something the rest of the nation desperately needs right now: secure access to energy, open ocean shipping lanes, and proximity to Asian markets without relying on canals, narrow passages, or adversarial regimes. From the Gulf of Alaska, resources can move freely across the Pacific without transiting choke points that can be threatened, closed, or weaponized.
This geographic reality significantly cuts travel days and costs; it embodies freedom of access. It is geography that is Alaska’s destiny — and America’s — if we act on it.
For years, Alaska has been sidelined in national energy conversations, despite holding nearly all the critical minerals the United States depends on and vast reserves of oil and natural gas. Here at home, Alaskans pay some of the highest fuel prices in the nation, in part because we lack refining capacity and sufficient infrastructure to fully use what we already have.
When conflicts like the Iran war inject chaos into global markets, Alaska should be part of the solution. Responsible development of Alaskan oil, gas, and minerals strengthens national security, lowers costs for American families, and reduces reliance on adversaries who do not share our values or our interests.
Alaska should be treated as a critical asset, not an afterthought. That means advancing energy projects, encouraging refining capacity, and opening pathways for responsible exports. It also means making sure the benefits of development flow first to Alaskans — through jobs, lower costs, and long-term economic stability — rather than being locked away by red tape or federal neglect.
RELATED: The Iran war is causing another shortage — and it will directly affect every American
The lesson of today’s uncertainty is not that America should retreat from the world, but that we should stand on firmer ground at home.
Wars are not measured by headlines, speculation, or the arguments that swirl in the middle of the conflict. They are measured at the end. If this conflict concludes with Iran defeated, its ability to threaten the world diminished, and our troops coming home safely, then Americans should unite in gratitude and pride.
Alaska understands the cost of service. We have one of the highest rates of veterans per capita in the nation. Our communities know sacrifice, duty, and resilience. If our sons and daughters in uniform succeed and return home victorious, we should celebrate their service and the removal of a dangerous foe from the world stage.
Alaska offers our nation something rare: stability, security, and strength without choke points. There is no Strait of Hormuz here, only opportunity. It is time we seize it. The time is right for Alaska and for the whole nation.
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