Two Dan Sullivans on Alaska ballot: Trump threatens legal action
In Alaska's Senate race, incumbent Dan S. Sullivan faces a man with nearly the same name. Trump calls it a "SCAM" and says Republicans are looking at ways to remove the second candidate from the ballot.
Symbolic image · Photo: James Brooks / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (cropped and resized)
President Donald Trump said, days before the midterm elections, that Republicans are weighing legal action against a U.S. Senate candidate in Alaska. In a post on Truth Social, he wrote that "We are looking at powerful legal options" to remove Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. from the ballot. The retired teacher from Petersburg shares almost the same name as Republican incumbent Dan S. Sullivan, who is seeking reelection. Trump called the race "totally confusing" and accused Democrats of putting the second Sullivan forward. He did not say what legal options he had in mind.
Trump described the situation as "CHEATING in an Election" and criticized a court for failing to stop what he called a "SCAM." At the same time, he said incumbent Dan S. Sullivan was leading "by a lot." He offered no evidence for the fraud claims. According to Newsweek, Dan J. Sullivan registered as a Republican only when he filed his candidacy; before that, he belonged to the Alaska Independence Party, which has since dissolved. There was no immediate response from either candidate or from Democrats.
The dispute has already been in court. Alaska's Division of Elections disqualified Dan J. Sullivan in June after complaints from the incumbent and Republican groups, who argued he was running in "bad faith." But the Alaska Supreme Court upheld a ruling in late June that the disqualification was unlawful, finding the division could not add requirements beyond those in the U.S. Constitution. "I'm glad it's over," Sullivan told the Alaska Beacon at the time. Election Day is Nov. 3.