Two rival Republicans with the same name can now both compete in Alaska’s primaries after a ruling by the state’s high court.
On Monday, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled Dan J. Sullivan is qualified to run against incumbent Alaska Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan, and ordered election officials to include him on the August primary ballot, the New York Times reports.
Republicans feared that having two Republicans with the same name could impact the incumbent senator’s chances. They also accused former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola, who is vying to oust the incumbent senator, of orchestrating Dan. J. Sullivan’s campaign and trying to intentionally confuse voters.
Peltola and state Democrats denied the allegations, while former teacher Dan J. Sullivan, who has been labeled “Decoy Dan,” by Alaska Republican Kevin McCabe, admitted he had registered as a Republican. After announcing his Senate campaign in May, he insisted he was making a legitimate attempt to oust the other Republican Sullivan.
Republicans complained to Alaska’s elections division that Dan J. Sullivan was not a “good faith candidate” and claimed he was working with a Democratic strategist.
They also claimed that his campaign website resembled the incumbent senator’s and said he appeared to have a history of donating to Democratic candidates, including Peltola.
Peltola is seen as the senator’s main rival in the race, which features more than a dozen candidates.
Sullivan, 69, told the Associated Press on Monday he had grown frustrated with the incumbent and thought the timing for a run was right. “I just decided it was something I needed to do,” he said. “I will find out if it was the right thing or not, but I’m going to give it a shot.”
While he admitted he intends to take votes from Dan S. Sullivan, 61, he said, “no, I’m not trying to trick people.”
Also speaking to KFSK on Monday, Dan J. Sullivan said he felt confident during the court’s proceedings.
“It feels pretty satisfying,” he said. “I have to say, if they had ruled the other way, I would have been really surprised.”
He is now awaiting news on how his name will appear on the election ballot, with the ballots due to be printed on Tuesday.
“Once that’s done, then I can sort of start to move forward with getting my message out and moving forward with this campaign,” he said.
The retired teacher has insisted he is a genuine candidate, however Nate Adams, a spokesman for the rival Sullivan, called the other Sullivan a “sham” and a “fraud” and was disappointed by the court’s ruling.
“That said, we are encouraged by the fact that the director of the division of elections will be able to use her expertise to best differentiate between the Petersburg fraud and the incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan, ultimately to the benefit of all Alaska voters,” Adams said.
