Daniel J. Sullivan, a candidate in Alaska’s Nov. 3 U.S. Senate election, left Petersburg earlier this week, CBS News reported, with the vote days away and two similarly named candidates on the ballot.
CBS cited multiple sources who confirmed Sullivan had left town. One, a former student and Petersburg resident, told the outlet she saw him on a flight to Anchorage on Monday, Oct. 26, but did not know where he went afterward.
CBS also reported that dozens of Petersburg residents had not seen campaign mailers, flyers or signs, and that its crew found no visible campaigning.
The Alaska Division of Elections’ general-election roster lists “Sullivan, Daniel J. Jr.” as undeclared and “Sullivan, Dan S.” as a Republican incumbent. State ballot instructions say voters do not have to rank every candidate; a voter’s second choice counts only if the first-choice candidate is eliminated.
The roster follows a dispute over Sullivan’s ballot placement. In a June 15 determination, the Division of Elections said his filing was intended to cause confusion or mislead voters. On June 29, the Alaska Supreme Court affirmed a lower-court order requiring his inclusion on the primary ballot and sent the question of how to list him back to the division. The court said a full opinion would follow.
The Alaska Department of Public Safety said Oct. 29 that the Alaska Bureau of Investigation opened an investigation at Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s request into alleged conduct described in a New York Times report. That day, the U.S. Department of Justice asked a federal court to block certification under specified circumstances while it investigates whether votes for Daniel J. Sullivan were meant for the incumbent. The filing is a request, not a court finding.
CBS reported that Mary Peltola’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee denied any connection to the effort to put Sullivan on the ballot. CBS also reported that a Justice Department official knew of no confirmed instance of a voter mistakenly selecting the wrong Sullivan, and that no race-related charges had been filed as of Oct. 30. Alaska’s election is scheduled for Nov. 3.
