State opens probe into Sen. Dan Sullivan’s namesake challenger as he says he can legally run

Dan J. Sullivan, from Petersburg, is challenging Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan in Alaska’s 2026 U.S. Senate race. (Photo provided by Dan J. Sullivan’s campaign)

The Dan Sullivan from Southeast Alaska who hopes to unseat the U.S. senator of the same name said in an interview early Monday that he’s a legitimate Republican candidate who’s not trying to trick voters.

Then later that day, the office of Republican Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom — who oversees Alaska’s elections — said the state is opening an investigation into Dan J. Sullivan, 69, a retired schoolteacher from Petersburg.

“Serious allegations have been raised concerning this filing in the race for U.S. Senate, and the people of Alaska deserve a thorough and transparent investigation to ensure that the election is carried out properly and without deception,” Dahlstrom said in a statement.

The Sullivan from Petersburg said late Monday evening that “I have done nothing that should prevent me from running in this race.”

“I filed correctly. I paid my fees. I’m not quite sure what the stink is, but I guess I’ll find out,” he said.

He said he’d just been informed of the investigation and may need to get a lawyer.

The second-term senator, Dan S. Sullivan, and a national Republican group have raised the specter of legal action to get Dan J. Sullivan’s name off the ballot, saying he’s trying to defraud voters to help the incumbent senator’s top challenger, Democrat Mary Peltola, a former U.S. representative for Alaska.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee last week urged the Alaska Division of Elections to prevent the Petersburg Dan Sullivan from appearing on the ballot, calling his candidacy an attempt to “rig” the election. The committee has said Peltola is working with the challenger in a ”deceitful political maneuver” to trick Alaska voters.

The committee says the challenger mimicked the look of the senator’s campaign materials and website; hired Amber Lee, a political strategist who has worked for Peltola and other Democrats; donated to Democratic candidates, including Peltola; and only recently registered as a Republican to steal votes from the senator.

Nate Adams, campaign spokesperson for Sen. Dan Sullivan, praised the investigation late Monday. He called the challenger a “sham candidate” in a statement.

“The State of Alaska is standing up for every Alaskan voter’s right to a fair and honest ballot,” Adams said. “Lieutenant Governor Nancy Dahlstrom’s letter makes clear that Alaska’s elections will not be a playground for deception.”

The Peltola campaign has emphasized that it has no involvement with Dan J. Sullivan’s campaign.

Dan J. Sullivan fired back at the National Republican Senatorial Committee’s accusations with a three-page letter to the Alaska Division of Elections last week, saying he meets all the legal requirements to enter the race.

“I am running because I am tired of sitting back and watching our current Senator routinely fail to represent the interests of ordinary Alaskans like me,” he said in the letter. “The fact that Senator Sullivan shares my first and last names adds insult to injury, motivating me to raise my hand as an alternative choice for Alaskans. Senator Sullivan and NRSC have no right to exclude me from the ballot simply because we happen to share a name.”

But Dahlstrom’s office said Monday that she has requested a sworn affidavit from the Petersburg Sullivan by noon Wednesday, responding to the specific allegations made against him.

That includes whether he had “direct or indirect contact with another candidate for U.S. Senate or an agent of the Democratic Party with respect to his declaration of candidacy,” her office said.

[Previous coverage: U.S. Senate and House races are set, with over 30 candidates and battle of the Dan Sullivans]

Another Republican group attacks

The National Republican Committee also went on the offensive against the challenger Friday.

The group, in an emailed statement to the Anchorage Daily News, said that Dan J. Sullivan’s son, Noah Sullivan, has worked on campaigns for Democrats in Alaska and elsewhere.

He now works for U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a Democrat in Washington state.

“Another connection has been found that proves Democrats are behind Decoy Dan: Decoy Dan’s own son,” according to the statement, sent by Nick Poché, a spokesperson with the Republican National Committee.

Dan J. Sullivan entered the race last month, shortly before the filing deadline.

He said in the interview early Monday that his son is a field operative for Gluesenkamp Perez, and meets with constituents for the lawmaker.

“We all have different views,” Sullivan said. “I raised him to be an independent young man, and that’s what he is.”

Dan J. Sullivan said he was raised in a Republican household in Illinois, before moving to Alaska in his early 20s.

His father and grandfather were Republicans but they had compassion as one of their values, something he said Sen. Dan Sullivan lacks.

“I don’t see him as a leader who is trying to bring Alaskans together to move our state forward,” Dan J. Sullivan said. “He has his own agenda, and he seems to be like, ‘That’s the way we’re going.’”

“And if you’re not on board, then you’re somehow a worse person because you hate this state, and I don’t understand that,” he said.

The Petersburg Sullivan said he registered Republican after the dissolution of the Alaskan Independence Party in December.

As an independent, he’s voted for and contributed to candidates of various parties, not just Democrats, he said in response to the NRSC’s criticism of his record of donating to Peltola and other Democratic candidates in the past.

He doesn’t know why he was only recently listed as a Republican voter on the state Division of Elections website, after being listed as “undeclared” the day he announced his candidacy.

Dan J. Sullivan said he started working with Amber Lee after hearing she might be a good political strategist to work with.

“I reached out to as many people around town and the state that I know who are somewhat politically active and was like, ‘How does a guy even go about starting to do this?’ ” he said of running for office. “And they threw out a few names.”

He liked that Lee wrote novels for middle school kids, since he also loved teaching literature to middle school kids, he said.

He said he and Lee helped build the logo for his campaign materials.

They chose blue and gold as the colors because they’re on the Alaska flag, the state ferry and the Alaska Railroad.

They weren’t picked to mimic Sullivan’s website, he said.

“I didn’t know those were copyrighted or trademarked,” he said of the colors.

He said he hasn’t yet paid Lee for her work.

“We’re still working on those details,” he said.

He said his campaign fundraising committee will be called Sullivan for Senate. It’s not yet registered with the Federal Elections Commission.

“We’re working on that,” he said, referring to Lee and other people he declined to name.

His interactions with Lee about his candidacy, along with his history of Republican Party affiliation; the use of “Daniel” versus “Dan” as his first name; the process used to design his website and campaign logo; and any interactions with other U.S. Senate candidates or “any agent of the Democratic Party” regarding his candidacy, are among the topics that Dahlstrom is seeking more information about in a sworn affidavit from him.

Dahlstrom also asked in a letter to the Petersburg Sullivan whether he would object to his name appearing on the ballot as “Sullivan, Daniel James Jr. (non-incumbent)” and without the Republican party designation, if the state determines his declaration of candidacy to be “genuine and proper.”

[What do you want to ask Alaska candidates for Congress, governor and the Legislature?]

‘I’m frustrated’

Dan J. Sullivan said that for years, he has entertained the idea of running against the senator, though it first started out as a joke among friends.

But he talked it over with “politically attuned” friends and they were supportive.

“I understand why the senator wants to make it a big deal, but it’s really a pretty simple story,” he said. “I’m frustrated. I’m frustrated with the work the senator has done. Our ferry system is falling apart. The affordability crisis here is outrageous. Transportation costs are outrageous. Our education system is, is not flourishing by any means. The fishing economy is really struggling.”

One issue in particular drove him to jump into the fray, Dan J. Sullivan said.

It came as the senator last month had not articulated a position on Trump’s proposed $1.8 billion Department of Justice fund, Dan J. Sullivan said.

The fund is designed to support people who say they were unfairly targeted by the federal government. Critics say it’s a slush fund for Trump’s allies, including Jan. 6 rioters.

“The senator is kind of famous for not speaking with constituents or reporters,” he said. “And then he had no comment on the anti-weaponization, Jan. 6 slush fund.”

“I’m a really pragmatic guy, and I would have been happy with an explanation (from Sullivan),” he said. “If you support or don’t support that, then tell us why, and I can agree or disagree.”

On Friday, Sen. Sullivan took a position, voting against the creation of the fund, along with fellow Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski.

It was a rare stance against Trump, though on an amendment that wasn’t expected to pass.

After the vote, Sen. Sullivan’s office said: “After learning more about the anti-weaponization fund, Senator Sullivan concluded that he did not support the fund. Senator Sullivan’s votes reflect that. Further, the Acting Attorney General of the United States also testified recently that the fund was dead.”