A man with the same name and Republican party affiliation as Alaska US Sen. Dan Sullivan is eligible to challenge the senator in the August primary, a judge ruled Friday. The ruling overturns a June 15 decision by Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher to disqualify the challenger and keep him off the primary ballot.

Background

The retired teacher from the small fishing community of Petersburg filed to challenge the incumbent in May. Attorneys for the state have said Tuesday is the deadline for a final ruling so that ballots for the Aug. 18 primary can be printed.

The judge ruled that the elections division’s decision to exclude Dan J. Sullivan because his candidacy was not “in good faith” was not based on the US Constitution, Alaska law or the Division’s own regulations. Instead, the decision was based upon a new, previously unstated, ‘good faith’ criteria.

Sen. Sullivan and his allies, including the National Republican Senatorial Committee, have condemned the challenger’s efforts to join the race, arguing his presence could confuse voters. Under Alaska’s election system, the top four candidates from the primary, regardless of party, move on to the ranked-choice November general election.

The senator has accused the challenger Sullivan of working with Democrats and the campaign of Democratic former US Rep. Mary Peltola — who is considered the senator’s main opponent — to sow confusion and boost Peltola’s chances. Peltola’s campaign and state Democrats have denied the allegation, as has the challenger.

Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.