Alaska rules Dan Sullivan ineligible for Senate primary ballot

Alaska's U.S. Senate primary ballot will feature only one candidate named Dan Sullivan after an election official ruled a challenger ineligible. Carol Beecher, director of the Governor's Division of Elections, determined that Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.'s candidacy was not filed in good faith but rather to confuse or mislead voters and compromise ballot fairness.

Beecher cited concerns with the challenger's recent switch to the Republican Party, the similarity of his campaign website to that of incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan, and his ties to a political consultant associated with a Democratic challenger to the senator. The National Republican Senatorial Committee had previously urged state officials to investigate the challenger's campaign.

The disqualified candidate has 30 days to appeal the decision to the Alaska Superior Court, though ballots are scheduled to be printed on June 28. Some Alaskans have protested the decision, viewing it as an effort to protect the incumbent senator from competition.