The Alaska Supreme Court has upheld a lower court’s decision, ordering election officials to reinstate Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. as a candidate on the August 18 primary ballot for U.S. Senate.
In a brief ruling issued Monday, the state’s highest court affirmed an order from a superior court that required the Division of Elections to list Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. in the race against incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan (R). The decision represents the final blow to Republican efforts to exclude the challenger from the ballot by leveraging the same name as the sitting senator.
“The 6/26/2026 order of the superior court directing the Division to include appellee Sullivan as a candidate for United States Senator on the primary election ballot is AFFIRMED,” the court stated in its order. The ruling also remanded the matter to the Division of Elections to determine how Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. should be listed on the primary ballot.
A spokesperson for Senator Sullivan, Nate Adams, criticized the decision: “We’re disappointed in the court’s ruling because, as the sham candidate Dan J. Sullivan’s lawyers made clear in their legal arguments, the only reason he is running is to deceive voters and manipulate Alaska’s election system.” The court noted a full opinion would be issued at a later date.
