On Friday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) initiated a lawsuit aimed at preventing the certification of Alaska’s Senate race results if Republican Senator Dan Sullivan were to lose, primarily due to a challenger who shares his name.
This challenger, who entered the race in June, has sparked speculation that his candidacy was designed to mislead voters, potentially aiding former Democratic Representative Mary Peltola in her campaign. The lawsuit argues that if Sullivan doesn’t win, the state would compromise its duty to uphold election integrity if it proceeds with certifying the results.
According to the lawsuit, “Daniel J. Sullivan’s entry into the Senate race was not genuine but rather aimed at deceiving supporters of Senator Sullivan into mistakenly voting for him. His candidacy seems to be crafted solely to assist the Peltola campaign by siphoning votes away from Senator Sullivan. Should Alaska endorse any election outcomes impacted by the presence of Daniel J. Sullivan—whose candidacy has been deemed ‘designed to confuse or mislead voters and undermine the fairness of the ballot’—the State and its officials would be failing in their obligation to ensure electoral integrity.” (RELATED: Dan Sullivan Endorses Dan Sullivan Against Dan Sullivan)
🚨🚨 The DOJ is suing to block the outcomes of Alaska’s Senate race if Dan Sullivan loses, with concerns that a candidate with his name entered to confuse voters. In June, metadata revealed that Amber Lee, a Democratic operative, drafted the press release for the other Dan Sullivan, who has been a significant supporter of Mary Peltola in the past. @DailyCaller
— Nicole Silverio (@NicoleMSilverio) October 23, 2026
Director of the Division of Elections, Carol Beecher, informed Sullivan in a letter dated August 26, suggesting that his candidacy declaration was not sincere but intended to confuse voters. Following his appeal, Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthews allowed him to remain on the primary ballot. However, the Alaska Supreme Court overturned this ruling on June 30, permitting the other Sullivan to stand for election.
Moreover, campaign metadata reviewed by the Daily Caller News Foundation indicates that Amber Lee, a Democratic strategist, was responsible for drafting the campaign communication for the other Sullivan on June 4. Lee has publicly backed Peltola’s Senate ambitions and expressed interest in her running for governor in 2025, as reported by The Hill.
With ranked-choice voting in Alaska, there’s a potential for voter confusion. The challenger, a retired schoolteacher from Petersburg, has made contributions amounting to $650 to Democratic campaigns across the country, including Peltola and a failed left-wing congressional candidate from Illinois, Kat Abughazaleh, as noted in Federal Elections Commission (FEC) records.
Peltola visited Petersburg, the hometown of the other Sullivan, on May 28, shortly before he announced his candidacy, as highlighted by the Anchorage Daily News.
