By SUZANNE DOWNING
June 22, 2026 – Daniel J. Sullivan of Petersburg, known as Decoy Dan, has appealed the Alaska Division of Elections decision that removed him from the Aug. 18 primary ballot for US Senate, starting a court fight that could affect ballot printing deadlines and further intensify a dispute already drawing scrutiny from state lawmakers and national political organizations.
In a notice of appeal filed Monday in Anchorage Superior Court, Sullivan asks the court to overturn Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher’s determination that he is ineligible to appear on the ballot and to restore his candidacy for the Republican nomination for US Senate.
According to the appeal, Sullivan argues that he satisfies Alaska’s legal requirements for candidacy and cannot be excluded simply because he shares a name and party affiliation with incumbent US Sen. Dan Sullivan.
“The Division of Elections abused its discretion and exceeded its statutory jurisdiction when it determined” that Sullivan was not entitled to appear on the ballot, Anchorage attorney Jeffrey Robinson wrote in the filing.
The appeal comes just days after Beecher issued a final determination concluding that the Petersburg candidate should not appear on the ballot. The Alaska Republican Party and the National Republican Senatorial Committee had successfully argued that his candidacy was intended to create voter confusion with the incumbent senator.
The legal challenge arrives as Alaska election officials prepare for printing of primary ballots, currently scheduled for Sunday. A court could allow the printing process to proceed or could order a delay while the case is considered. At this time, Daniel J. Sullivan is not on the ballot, but he’s spending money like a candidate.
Meanwhile, political strategist Amber Lee, whose Amber Lee Strategies firm was involved in Sullivan’s campaign launch, posted on social media over the weekend that she had left to Ireland. Lee’s role in the candidacy has been the subject of extensive reporting and political controversy.
The appeal is being handled by attorneys Jeffrey W. Robinson, Bryn R. Pallesen, and Zoe A. Eisberg of Ballard Spahr. Court records do not indicate who is paying Decoy Dan Sullivan’s legal expenses.
The appeal argues that Sullivan met every statutory qualification for the office and that the Division improperly invented a “good faith” requirement that does not exist in either Alaska law or federal law. The sole point on appeal asks whether the Division violated Alaska law and the US Constitution by excluding Sullivan despite his meeting all legal qualifications and filing requirements.
The legal theory advanced by Sullivan’s attorneys is that the Division’s authority is limited to reviewing qualifications specifically addressed in a candidate’s declaration of candidacy, such as age, residency, citizenship, voter registration, and other statutory requirements. They contend the Division exceeded its authority by examining his motives, campaign website, political consultants, and party affiliation history.
The appeal also argues that any voter confusion issue should be addressed through ballot design rather than candidate exclusion. The brief specifically points to Alaska regulations governing how names appear on ballots and contends those regulations do not authorize the Division to remove a candidate entirely.
The appeal raises a constitutional argument. Decoy Dan’s attorneys contend that because the US Constitution sets the qualifications for serving in the Senate to be age, citizenship, and residency, neither Alaska nor the Division of Elections has anything to say about it.
By contrast, Beecher’s June 15 determination concluded that Sullivan’s filing was not a genuine candidacy but an attempt to fake-out voters. She cited four primary factors: his request to appear as “Dan Sullivan” rather than “Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.,” his switch to the Republican Party immediately before filing, similarities between his campaign website and Sen. Dan Sullivan’s website, and the involvement of a Democratic political consultant, who has now fled the country, in his campaign. Beecher concluded that the totality of the evidence showed an effort to mislead voters and compromise the neutrality of the ballot.
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12 thoughts on “Decoy Dan files appeal to regain place on ballot as his Democrat strategist flees the country”
What a poor time for her to leave the country….
She is a stupid idiot
Her poor decision just make the DNC and AKDemocrat party look even more nefarious by her appearance of “running away”
Good for him! I sure hope this gets fast tracked and headed to SCOTUS. A recent appeal, with some striking similarities, https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/04/state-election-dispute-on-political-speech-comes-to-supreme-court-on-interim-docket/
was recently declined by SCOTUS, the inferior courts ruling was allowed to stand by SCOTUS. That ruling barred the candidate, under an exceedingly similar situation, from appearing on the ballot.
It turns out that some judges and Justices have actually read the Constitution. They are aware of what Article I, Section 3, Clause 3 says and they are also aware of what Article I, Section 4 says, along with the 14th Amendment. States all over the country frequently certify and even de-certify Congressional and Senate candidates and their eligibility to be on the ballot for numerous reasons, some as mundane as the number of signatures, others for fraud, others for perjury or swearing a false oath.
Excuse me……………..why is this called an “appeal” if it is filed with the court and not the Division of Elections? If he is “appealing” the DoE’s ruling, it should be filed with the DoE. If it’s a lawsuit for specific performance, it is filed with the court.
Is this sleight of vocabulary (and Amber Lee’s flight out of the country) an attempt to force this decoy onto the ballot without the right of the Division to get their questions answered under oath? There is clear, documented evidence of an attempt to deceive the Division into a fraudulent representation on the ballot.
“………Court records do not indicate who is paying Decoy Dan Sullivan’s legal expenses……….”
As a candidate for political office, when is his campaign balance sheet due for reporting?
Still trying to fool the public. The old Petersburg town drunk needs a legacy for himself. He’s getting one in spades. The biggest fool in Alaska. And his entire family gets to watch him destroy the family reputation.
Anyone out there whose name is also Lisa Murkowski? There’s a job opening for you in 2028!ⁿ
Running away to try to avoid Discovery
That is a face only satan would love. The affect of mental instability combined with the sheen of evil.
Repent woman. Turn to God.
Of course, we could just let the Republican Party of Alaska run the elections. Then it would be perfect, and would align with trumps vision of American elections.
That would be a good idea and a vast improvement to what we have now. Imagine voting occurring just on Election Day, with voters proving who they are with identification, dead people wouldn’t be voting and there would be no cheat by mail or RSV.
Voter ID required.
In Person voting.
All counting finished by the end of election day.
No more mail in ballots except in special circumstances.
No more late-night ballot dumps.
Accurately maintained and completely transparent voter rolls.
Sounds great, Bob. When do we start?
The democrats can’t win if they can’t cheat and they know it. So their argument here is that intentionally deceiving voters isn’t technically against the law, so they should be allowed to do it. Millions of dollars in outside money were spent to force RCV on the people of Alaska so that democrats could use it to cheat. Here they stand up and prove it. If we had a proper Republican primary, this wouldn’t be happening. Check out Petersburg Sullivan’s “campaign” website. Not ONE mention of ANY issue. Nothing. But, right, it’s a legit campaign……. The dirtbag activist Amber Lee fleeing the scene of this “hit and run” makes this situation look that much worse.