Alaska judge lets challenger Dan J. Sullivan stay on Senate primary ballot

Alaska Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthews overturned a June 15 disqualification of Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher from Petersburg, allowing him to appear on the Aug. 18 U.S. Senate primary ballot alongside incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. Matthews ruled that the Alaska Division of Elections had relied on a “good‑faith” requirement that is not found in the U.S. Constitution, Alaska statutes or the agency’s own regulations, writing that the decision was based on “a new, previously unstated, ‘good‑faith’ criteria.” The ruling can be appealed to the Alaska Supreme Court, with a deadline Tuesday for a final decision before ballots are printed. Republicans claim the challenger’s identical name could confuse voters and allege possible coordination with Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola, though no evidence has been presented. Alaska’s non‑partisan top‑four primary will advance the four highest vote‑getters to a ranked‑choice general election in November, making the case part of a competitive Senate race that national parties are watching closely.