Alaska's Division of Elections did its job earlier this month. A state judge just undid it.
The Division ruled that a fake candidate running under Sen. Dan Sullivan's (R-Alaska) name and even his branding had no business on the 2026 midterm ballot. The impostor, whose actual name is Daniel J. Sullivan, copied the real Sullivan's old campaign slogan and slapped together a logo nearly identical to the incumbent's. The goal was obvious: trick enough confused voters into pulling the lever for the wrong Sullivan to tip a close Senate race.
And the Democrat candidate’s fingerprints are all over it.
Metadata buried in a PDF of the impostor's campaign press release traced authorship back to a known supporter of Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska), the Democrat running for the very same Senate seat. Daniel J. Sullivan also hired a political consultant who happens to be a prominent Peltola booster. For a guy who insists he's a serious, independent Senate candidate, he sure surrounds himself with people who'd benefit enormously from Sullivan voters splitting their ballots by accident.
The Division of Elections’ investigation found that Daniel J. Sullivan had never registered or sought ballot access as "Dan Sullivan" before this campaign. His application listed his name as "Dan S. Sullivan," conveniently matching the incumbent senator's middle initial. He closely copied a campaign website and slogan that closely resembled the real Sullivan's. When officials asked him to submit evidence backing up the legitimacy of his candidacy, he declined. Alaska's Director of Elections explained, ”Based on a review of the evidence presented and in the Division's possession, the Division has determined that the preponderance of evidence does not support your eligibility for the office of United States Senator."
That should have been the end of it. Instead, an Alaska judge stepped in and reversed the Division's decision one day before ballots were scheduled to go to print on June 28.
Alaska state judge rules the other Dan Sullivan can appear on the US Senate ballot.
— Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 (@PollTracker2024) June 27, 2026
Ruling is expected to be appealed to the Alaska Supreme Court pic.twitter.com/VRT7OhtRuk
Judge Thomas Matthews ruled that Daniel J. Sullivan can appear on the ballot under the name "Dan Sullivan," with a listed party affiliation of Republican, despite never having affiliated with the GOP before he decided to run for this particular seat at this particular moment. Apparently, a man can spend his entire life with zero connection to a party, then claim it the same week he launches a spoiler campaign against that party's own incumbent, and a judge will sign off on it.
For our VIPs: Wherever There's a Democrat, There's Cheating
Sen. Dan Sullivan is widely expected to appeal this ruling, and he should. We want judges to be nonpartisan arbiters of the rule of law, and allowing an obvious fake candidate to appear on the ballot clearly has partisan intentions. The Division of Elections looked at the evidence and reached the obvious conclusion.
If this ruling stands, every competitive race in the country just got a blueprint for stealing an election. All you have to do is recruit someone who shares your opponent’s name and watch confused voters do the rest.
That’s literally the precedent this decision sets.
If the fake Sullivan is allowed to remain on the ballot, it won’t stop here. Expect copycat schemes in competitive races across the country, where deception becomes just another campaign tactic. Democrats never miss an opportunity to proclaim themselves defenders of democracy. Yet time and again, they embrace tactics that undermine fair elections whenever they think they can get away with it.
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