There can be two Dan Sullivans on Alaska’s ballot for a key Senate seat, a judge ruled Friday.
The judge decided Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher, can appear on the state’s primary ballot alongside the incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, reversing a state decision last month that knocked him out of the contest.
Both Sullivans are running as Republicans.
Their shared name and party affiliation prompted Republicans to accuse Dan J. of entering the election to confuse voters and boost the odds for Democrat Mary Peltola, a former congresswoman also running for the Senate seat that is critical to control of the chamber in November.
Republicans have pointed out that Dan. J’s campaign materials were eerily similar to the current senator’s, that he had not been a member of the GOP until his campaign and that he was working with a consultant who had previously supported Peltola.
Last month, Alaska’s Division of Elections sided with Republicans, who argued that Dan J.’s candidacy was not genuine and that he was not operating in “good faith.” But Judge Thomas A. Matthews, a superior court judge in Anchorage, bucked that reasoning.
Matthews wrote in his Friday ruling that a “good faith” standard is not outlined in the Constitution or other law and therefore was not an appropriate basis for denying a candidacy. He said Dan J. had met all of the constitutional requirements to run for Senate — he lives in Alaska, has been a U.S. citizen for nine years and is at least 30 years old.
Attorneys for Dan J. declined to comment Saturday. Peltola’s campaign has repeatedly denied involvement with the lesser-known Sullivan.
Alaska has a unique primary system in which all candidates regardless of party appear on the same primary ballot, and the top four vote-getters advance to the general election, which is decided by ranked choice. Republicans are worried that Dan J.’s name on the primary ballot will siphon support from the incumbent senator Dan. S.
The senator, who has held his seat since 2015, filed to run for reelection in July 2025. The retiree filed on May 29, three days before the deadline — a late entry that Republicans cast as another sign that Dan J. did not intend to be a serious candidate. At the time of their filings, both men asked to appear on the ballot as “Sullivan, Dan.”
The primary will be held Aug. 18. The deadline to print ballots is Tuesday.
Matthew Choi contributed to this report.
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