Alaska’s blockbuster Senate race thrown into chaos as same-name challenger fights disqualification in court

The retired teacher recently switched to GOP and sought to use incumbent’s initials on primary ballot, official claims

2026-06-23T14:59:54-04:00 / Fox News

By Adam Pack Fox News

Published June 23, 2026 2:59pm EDT

A controversial candidate sharing the name and party affiliation of a vulnerable GOP incumbent is vowing not to go down without a fight after Alaska’s top election official blocked him from the state’s blockbuster Senate race.

Dan J. Sullivan, the same-name challenger running against Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, R-Alaska, filed a lawsuit to remain on the August primary ballot after Director of Elections Carol Beecher disqualified his candidacy last week.

Beecher determined that Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher who recently changed his party affiliation to the GOP, did not launch his campaign “in good faith,” and sought to “confuse or mislead” voters at the ballot box.

But counsel affiliated with the same-name candidate argues that his removal runs afoul of state law.

Senator Dan Sullivan, a Republican from Alaska, stands in the Senate Subway of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on June 17, 2026.(Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg)

SAME-NAME CANDIDATE DISQUALIFIED FROM KEY SENATE RACE OVER ALLEGED DEM SCHEME TO CONFUSE VOTERS

“Nothing in Alaska law regulates in any way the private motivations that draw individuals to declare or campaign for office,” a court filing from attorneys Jeffrey Robinson, Bryn Pallesen and Zoe Eisberg obtained by The Associated Press reads.

The fate of his candidacy could prove decisive in the state’s hotly contested Senate race in which Sen. Dan S. Sullivan is seeking a third term in the Republican-leaning state. Democrats are hoping that former Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, whom Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., helped recruit into the race, will unseat Sullivan in November.

Primary ballots are expected to be printed later this month.

Under Alaska’s open primary system, the top four vote-getters will advance to the November general election.

Republicans have argued that Dan J. Sullivan’s candidacy is a “sham” attempt orchestrated by Democratic operatives to potentially trip up voters and siphon off votes from the incumbent, but Democrats, including Peltola, have denied involvement.

“Even by Chuck Schumer’s low standards, this was an outrageous attempt to trick Alaska voters and rig the election,” Senate Republican Conference Chairman Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said last week.

Newly-introduced Senate candidate Dan Sullivan, left, pictured alongside Sen. Dan Sullivan, D-Alaska, right.(Sullivan for U.S. Senate; Brandon Bell-Pool/Getty Images)

GOP FIGHTS TO STOP MULTIPLE DAN SULLIVANS FROM APPEARING ON ALASKA BALLOT, CALLS CANDIDACY A ‘SHAM’

Dan J. Sullivan has dismissed Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, R-Alaska, highlighting “credible allegations” that suggested he filed to run with the intention of deceiving voters.

“The Lieutenant Governor’s job is to oversee elections fairly and impartially,” Dan J. Sullivan wrote on Facebook last week. “Instead, her actions create the impression that the state government is being used to protect an incumbent senator at the ballot box.”

“The people of Alaska are fully capable of deciding for themselves who should represent them in Washington,” he added.

The political newcomer has come under scrutiny over ties to Democratic consultant Amber Lee, who was revealed as the author of his campaign launch announcement in metadata reviewed by Fox News Digital. Lee has notably supported Peltola’s prior runs for office and expressed optimism to The Hill in January that the Alaska Democrat would unseat the incumbent Sullivan.

According to Beecher’s letter, Dan J. Sullivan requested to appear on the primary ballot under the name “Dan Sullivan” despite previously registering as “Daniel J. Sullivan, Jr.” Beecher also noted that his campaign materials are visually similar to the incumbent Republican’s campaign and that he had no affiliation with the GOP prior to jumping into the race shortly before the filing deadline.

The nascent candidate notably sought to register with the incumbent’s “S” initial at one point, according to Beecher.

“‘S’ is Senator Sullivan’s middle initial, not yours,” the election official noted.

Amid mounting scrutiny, Dan J. Sullivan has largely brushed off concerns about his name.

Rep. Mary Peltola speaks during the Capitol Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 3, 2024.(Nathan Posner/Anadolu)

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“My grandfather was Dan, and between my dad, uncle, and cousins, there were six more Dans in the family,” he wrote on Facebook recently. “Nicknames were a necessity, and mine will never be revealed.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Dan J. Sullivan campaign for comment.