{"id":3897,"date":"2026-07-11T22:37:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T17:37:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=3897"},"modified":"2026-07-11T22:37:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T17:37:13","slug":"to-the-gop-hes-a-sham-candidate-at-home-hes-mr-sullivan-ex-teacher-and-alaska-senate-hopeful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=3897","title":{"rendered":"To the GOP, he&#8217;s a sham candidate. At home, he\u2019s Mr. Sullivan, ex-teacher and Alaska Senate hopeful"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"prism-article-body\">\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao MvWXB TjIXL aGjvy ebVHC \"><span class=\"oyrPY qlwaB AGxeB  \">PETERSBURG, Alaska &#8212; <\/span>On Independence Day, as second-term Republican Dan Sullivan and his chief rival in Alaska&#8217;s U.S. Senate race <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/alaska-senate-peltola-sullivan-3fd17afc556641652e83e9c11d700306\">Democrat Mary Peltola<\/a> headlined parades, the other <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/alaska-senate-dan-sullivan-peltola-68ca38749253c6bf52d13051fda01251\">Dan Sullivan<\/a> seeking the seat was happily on the sidelines of festivities in this small fishing community he long has called home. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">He blended in as well as one can in a town where everyone knows just about everyone else. He was not campaigning. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to turn it into something that was about me rather than about the celebration,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">This Sullivan \u2014 Dan. J \u2014 has been an unconventional candidate from the start. He drew intense, immediate blowback for having the same name and party affiliation as the senator \u2014 Dan. S. \u2014 in a race that could help decide control of the Senate in November. The incumbent and GOP allies accused the same-named challenger in the Aug. 18 primary of being <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ap.org\/news-highlights\/elections\/2026\/gop-sen-dan-sullivan-draws-an-unusual-opponent-in-alaskas-primary-and-hes-not-happy-about-it\/\">a sham candidate<\/a> working with Democrats to sow confusion and help Peltola. Dan. J. Sullivan and the Peltola campaign have denied that claim.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">A top state elections official <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/alaska-senate-dan-sullivan-primary-ad88336170d376a646911609cf3a51e0\">booted Dan J. Sullivan from the ballot<\/a>. The <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/alaska-senate-dan-sullivan-primary-ballot-7ab7729f59ada83a498e91bf5ae0b67f\">Alaska Supreme Court<\/a> later ordered that he be included. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">All candidates, including independents, run in one primary in Alaska. The top four vote-getters advance to the ranked vote general election in November. Primaries in the top races can be crowded, with more than a dozen candidates. Dan. J. Sullivan is among 16 hopefuls in the Senate race. The incumbent and Peltola are <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/alaska-senate-peltola-sullivan-3fd17afc556641652e83e9c11d700306\">the highest-profile candidates<\/a> and the only ones so far to report raising money. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Petersburg, where the challenger has lived for decades, is an island community of about 3,000 people in southeast Alaska that is accessible only by air or water. Many longtime residents find it hard to believe claims that their Dan Sullivan, a retired elementary and middle school teacher, is a dirty trickster.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u201cYou really have to do a lot of mental gymnastics to suddenly not respect Dan Sullivan, because he\u2019s honestly a very stand-up human being,&#8221; said Orin Pierson, publisher of the Petersburg Pilot newspaper. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Even some who do not know how they will vote, or declined to say, criticized the state\u2019s attempts to block the political novice, saying he met the age, residency and citizenship requirements set out by the U.S. Constitution. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u201cTo say somebody can\u2019t run \u2014 that he\u2019s fake \u2014 that\u2019s fear,\u201d said Linda Bunge, who attended a community potluck at a park where yellowish seaweed carpeted the beach at low tide. Bunge said she probably will vote for <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/2022-midterm-elections-sarah-palin-special-don-young-congress-211e0212b62c43c45cbdf035a0229918\">Peltola<\/a>, a former congresswoman, but would consider Dan J. Sullivan. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Jeigh Stanton Gregor, a borough Assembly member who worked with him years ago at the local elementary school, said he was somewhat surprised Sullivan was running because people previously tried to recruit him for local offices. He called Sullivan\u2019s character \u201cunimpeachable.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Stanton Gregor said he wants to see how the campaign plays out before deciding which candidate to support. Dan J. Sullivan\u2019s concerns about healthcare costs resonate with him, but Gregor also has found the senator easy to work with and respects Peltola. A registered Democrat, Gregor said he generally votes for the person, not the party.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u201cBeing a good human carries a lot of weight with me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Last month, Republican Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, who oversees elections, announced an investigation into Dan J. Sullivan&#8217;s run. She cited \u201ccredible allegations\u201d that he ran in coordination with another candidate and campaign in an effort to \u201cmanipulate voters.\u201d The announcement came after a lawyer for the National Republican Senatorial Committee asserted that Dan J. Sullivan&#8217;s work with a consultant who has worked with Democrats was evidence of an attempt to confuse voters and \u201crig the election\u201d for Peltola. It is an assertion that the Republican Senate campaign arm has continued to make.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Dan J. Sullivan argued the state had no legal basis to block his candidacy. He said the allegation he worked with Peltola was \u201centirely false\u201d and that the prior work of a consultant was not a legitimate reason to investigate him. The state Democratic Party and campaign groups denied recruiting Dan J. Sullivan or having any affiliation with him. The director of the state Division of Elections, Carol Beecher, <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/www.elections.alaska.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Final-Determination-6.15.2026-DOE.pdf\">in disqualifying him<\/a>, did not mention finding any evidence of coordination. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">But she determined he had not filed a \u201cgood-faith candidacy.\u201d She cited factors such as his lack of affiliation with the Republican Party before filing and having a campaign site similar in appearance to the senator&#8217;s. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">A state court judge <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/public.courts.alaska.gov\/web\/media\/MRCF\/3AN-26-07485CI\/order2.pdf\">voided her decision<\/a>, ruling it was not based on constitutional or legal requirements and that there was not enough evidence to support her conclusion that Dan J. Sullivan aimed to confuse voters. The state Supreme Court affirmed placing him on the ballot but left to the Division of Elections to figure out how to do that.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">While the challenger sought to appear as Republican Dan J. Sullivan, he is listed as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., with no party affiliation. The senator is listed as Republican Dan S. Sullivan and as \u201cincumbent,\u201d a title not included for other candidates seeking reelection. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Dan J. Sullivan said he does not think that is fair, but if the agency&#8217;s concern \u201cis truly that I\u2019m going to confuse people, then this certainly will be a way that people should not be confused.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">He acknowledges his name gives him an advantage over the 13 candidates with little to no name recognition or campaign support. He is now trying to figure how to make the most of the limelight and deal with the scrutiny. He plans to take steps to fundraise and may campaign in other communities and participate in forums. Sullivan has a Facebook page and a basic campaign website. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u201cI want something to change, and it\u2019s my right to do that,\u201d he said. \u201cI could put up a yard sign; I could write letters. In this case, I thought, wow, this would reach a lot more people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">There was not one issue that prompted the Petersburg Sullivan to run, but he said he had grown frustrated by a senator he sees as unresponsive to constituents. He also wanted the incumbent to join Alaska&#8217;s senior senator, Republican Lisa Murkowski, in speaking out against a <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-settlement-fund-irs-lawsuit-192550667b662f1a2f8572c0ccb846a3\">compensation fund proposed by the Trump administration<\/a> and the possibility rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, could benefit from it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Dan J. Sullivan said he worries President Donald Trump&#8217;s tariff policies and the war with Iran are driving up costs for Alaskans. He does not see the rural healthcare funding approved by Congress last year and promoted as transformational by the senator as helping address immediate needs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Petersburg, like many small Alaska communities, has limited healthcare options. Residents needing specialized care must travel to larger cities. Residents will often maximize a trip to Juneau, the nearest city of size, by taking their vehicles on the state-run ferry and stocking up at Costco on cheaper groceries and supplies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Resident Grace Wolf said she appreciates what the senator has done, saying he is fiscally responsible and that she likes his military background. The senator was a long-serving Marine and retired as a colonel in the Marine Corps Reserve. But \u201cI feel like this time around, grassroots might be the way to go,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">She plans to vote for Dan J. Sullivan, whom she knows as Mr. Sullivan.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Wolf worries about people being able to afford to stay in or move to the area and about protecting the health of local fisheries so important to the economy. Having people in office who can relate to those challenges is important, she said. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC eTIW sUzSN \">&#8220;I think we stand a better chance with having them at the helm and protecting our interests. It doesn\u2019t matter if they\u2019ve got a \u2018D\u2019 or an \u2018R\u2019 by their names. They\u2019re our neighbors and they know what we\u2019re going through.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>PETERSBURG, Alaska &#8212; On Independence Day, as second-term Republican Dan Sullivan and his chief rival in Alaska&#8217;s U.S. Senate race Democrat Mary Peltola headlined parades, the other Dan Sullivan seeking the seat was happily on the sidelines of festivities in this small fishing community he long has called home. He blended in as well as&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3898,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/8b557350-f4c3-4c0c-a39b-0a1123fc959a\/wirestory_388a4e7f2baf7cbeec53fdf6b7a234d6_16x9.jpg?w=1600","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-political-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3897"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3897\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3898"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}