Correct the record: Dan J. Sullivan did not ask to use Dan S. Sullivan's middle initial
Here is the proof that Dan J. Sullivan did not initially ask that he be listed on the ballot as Dan S. Sullivan, a lie that has been amplified by Sen. Dan S. Sullivan and other Republicans pushing claims of a criminal conspiracy. Four days later he wrote a letter saying that middle initials should be used.
Carol Beecher, the director of the Division of Elections, has propagated the claim that Dan J. Sullivan of Petersburg “initially” asked the Division of Elections to list his name as Dan S. Sullivan.
It’s not true.
Beecher has yet to correct the record, which has been amplified by the Republican establishment, deceptive claims in court and inadequate news reporting.
Here is what really happened.
On May 29, 2026, Daniel J. Sullivan filed a sworn declaration to run for the U.S. Senate. He did not list his middle initial as “S” or engage in any deception. See the document above.
On June 3. 2026, Dan J. Sullivan wrote to Beecher in response to the claims from the National Republican Senatorial Committee on June 1 that he should not be allowed to be a candidate.
He pointed out that Beecher could use middle initials on the ballot to differentiate between the Sullivans. He signed the June 3 letter Daniel J. Sullivan. He did not ask to use Dan S. Sullivan’s middle initial. He wasn’t pretending his middle initial was anything but J.
That should have been the end of this, but Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom and Beecher, carrying water for Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, created confusion and distorted the truth.
On June 8, at 8:54 a.m., Beecher again wrote Dan J. Sulivan asking how his name should appear on the ballot—claiming that he had not replied to the June 1 email. But his June 3 letter was a clear reply.
“Your office is of course free to take reasonable steps to avoid voter confusion where two individuals with the same name are running for office—for example, by using a middle initial,” Dan J. wrote on June 3, signing the letter as Daniel J. Sullivan.
On June 8, at 11:27 a.m., Dan J. Sullivan replied to Beecher’s email that morning with nothing but the words, “Dan S. Sullivan” and a question about whether Beecher had received his June 3 letter—the document in which he suggested using middle initials.
Dan J. Sullivan corrected his email eight hours later, saying, “Apologies. Please list as Dan J. Sullivan.” Sullivan claims he made a mistake. Given his previous contacts with the state, that’s the only explanation that makes any sense. Unless you want to think that he was so stupid he could use a phony middle initial when he was on the record favoring the use of his real middle initial.
“Indeed, you yourself appeared to be confused when you initially emailed the Division asking to be listed on the ballot as ‘Dan S. Sullivan.’ ‘S’ is Senator Sullivan’s middle initial, not yours.” Beecher wrote.
The words “initially emailed the division” are at the heart of Beecher’s lie.
Dan J. Sullivan may have been confused in response to her June 8 email, but the preponderance of evidence, starting with his sworn declaration May 29 and other letters, is that he initially asked to be listed as Dan J. Sullivan.
Beecher did not provide an honest context when she claimed he “initially emailed the Division asking to be listed” as Dan S. Sullivan.
It would have been correct for her to say only that he sent her a two word email response of “Dan S. Sullivan” and corrected it eight hours later. The extended email exchange is reprinted below.
Dan J.’s correction was in line with multiple contacts, including the sworn declaration, that his middle initial was J.
But the Colorado lawyer hired to try to keep Dan J. off the ballot under a 20-day $100,000 no-bid state contract repeated Beecher’s falsehood to the Alaska Supreme Court and thought it was enough to kick him off the ballot. Christopher Murray thought this was the smoking gun.
“Again, I gotta tell you, looking at the email from Mr. Sullivan. When he was asked, hey you’ve asked to go on the ballot as Dan Sullivan comma Dan. We’ve got another Sullivan comma Dan, it’s the senator. So we’re thinking about uh, maybe if we do a middle initial. Like how do you want to go on and he responds Dan. S. Sullivan,” said Christopher Murray.
Justice Jennifer Henderson interrupted to say he corrected that email.
“This is emblematic of the confusion,” said Murray. “And I’m. Justice Henderson he did retract it eight hours later. And the Superior Court sort of waived that off as a mistake. In the division’s estimation, who by the way gets to make the evidentiary determinations here, if it had the power to do it, right? That was. That’s not a simple that's not an innocent mistake, or random mistake,” Murray said.
“There's a lot of other letters in the alphabet that could have been a typo. The fact that he picked the middle initial of the sitting United States senator that he's purporting to genuinely challenge — we don't think that the division is obligated to not notice that as very, very troubling.”
“We think it unquestionably justified booting him off the ballot,” said Murray.
Murray, whose hourly rate is being kept secret by the state, failed to mention the previous letter from Dan J. calling for the use of his middle initial and Dan S.’s middle initial.
Mistakes with names happen. Some of them are stupid. Sullivan’s email is an example.
Another is that Murray referred pompously to a court case involving the late Lt. Gov. Red Boucher and referred to him as “bou-shay.” Murray is certainly getting paid enough to pronounce Red’s name as “bow-cher.”
The Republican Party repeated Beecher’s false claim in a court filing, as did the state of Iowa and 13 other Republican attorneys general who inaccurately claimed he “initially requested the incumbent’s middle initial.”
Beecher’s falsehood continues to be repeated and amplified worldwide in the news coverage.
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