ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Alaska Division of Elections has preliminarily determined that Dan J. Sullivan from Petersburg is not eligible to run for office, following a probe into allegations from Republicans that he is attempting to rig the election to draw votes from the U.S. senator of the same name.

“Based on a review of the evidence presented and in the Division’s possession, the Division has determined that the preponderance of evidence does not support your eligibility for the office of United States Senator,” Carol Beecher, director of the Division of Elections, said in a letter to Dan J. Sullivan on Wednesday.

Dan J. Sullivan, 69, is a retired teacher from the Southeast Alaska town who entered the race to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan late last month, shortly before the filing deadline. In response to attacks from Republicans on his candidacy, the Petersburg Sullivan has steadfastly maintained he is running on his own as a legitimate GOP candidate and not in coordination with Democratic operatives.

The state’s decision is not final, and Beecher said the candidate has another chance to make his case by 5 p.m. Thursday. After that deadline, the elections division will issue a final decision, Beecher said in the letter.

The Division of Elections didn’t outline what specific evidence led to the decision, but pointed to two attached complaints filed against his candidacy from the Alaska Republican Party.

One complaint said his candidacy is improper because his declaration of candidacy stated that he’s affiliated with the Republican Party, though at the time his political affiliation was “undeclared.”

In response to questions about his voter affiliation, the Petersburg Sullivan has maintained he registered as a Republican earlier this year.

National Republican groups and the senator have accused him of being a sham candidate who may have worked with Democrats or their supporters to run as a Republican with the intent of helping the senator’s top challenger, Mary Peltola, a former U.S. representative and a Democrat.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee had urged state elections officials to keep his name off the ballot, saying Alaska regulations say a candidate can’t be listed in a way that’s “confusing or misleading to voters or compromises the fairness or neutrality of the ballot.” The group listed concerns and allegations, including that Dan J. Sullivan’s campaign materials appearing to mimic the senator’s; that the candidate had donated to Democrats in the past, including Peltola; and that he appeared to have suddenly registered as a Republican after initially being “undeclared.”

The committee has also asked the Federal Election Commission to investigate the issue and, if warranted, to refer the matter to the Department of Justice.

The committee suggested that Peltola had helped orchestrate his run. Peltola’s campaign has maintained that it has had no involvement in the campaign of Dan J. Sullivan.

Republican Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom said Monday that the state was launching the investigation into Dan J. Sullivan’s candidacy and whether he can legally run.

Dahlstrom, raising the prospect that the challenger may have committed perjury, said he needed to reply by noon Wednesday with a sworn affidavit answering questions about the nature of his candidacy.

Dan J. Sullivan argued in his reply that he meets the legal requirements to run for office and that the state has no “credible basis” to keep him off the ballot.

He refused to provide a sworn affidavit, which is generally described as a statement of facts made under oath, saying the allegations against him are baseless and Dahlstrom’s questions are irrelevant.

Dan J. Sullivan said Thursday morning in a text message that he received the notice the night before saying the state Division of Elections had preliminarily determined he was ineligible.

He said that he would not be available for comment until later on Thursday, as “we decide where we go next.”

The notice included two complaints received from the Alaska Republican Party.

Carmela Warfield speaks with another attendee at the Alaska Republican Party convention on April 19, 2024 at the Hotel Captain Cook in downtown Anchorage. (Loren Holmes / ADN archive) Carmela Warfield, chair of the Alaska Republican Party, says in the complaints that Dan J. Sullivan misrepresented his party affiliation on May 29 when he filed for his candidacy. She says his candidacy was not filed in good faith and was meant to cause confusion.

“Sullivan’s declaration states he is affiliated with the Republican Party, but Division records show his party affiliation at filing was ‘Undeclared,’ ” the complaint says.

“Sullivan’s declaration must be rejected because he misrepresented his registered party affiliation,” one of the complaints says.

The letterhead on the complaints is from the law firm Holmes Weddle & Barcott.

Dan J. Sullivan has maintained that he registered as a Republican after the Alaskan Independence Party dissolved in December.

He has also said he does not know why he was only recently listed as a Republican voter on the state Division of Elections website, after being listed by the website as “undeclared” the day he announced his candidacy.

Voter registration applications included with the complaints show that on March 26, Sullivan listed his political affiliation as undeclared, though last year he had listed his affiliation with the Alaskan Independence Party. In exhibits attached to the complaint showing his voter registration information before 2024, he was also listed as undeclared or nonpartisan for several previous years.

The complaints also include Dan J. Sullivan’s Alaska declaration to run for U.S. Congress on May 28, the day before he publicly announced his candidacy. There, he says he would like his party affiliation on the ballot to be listed as Republican.

“Despite never having registered as affiliated with the Republican Party, Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.’s declaration swears he is a registered Republican,” one of the complaints from the Alaska Republican Party says.

The state’s August primary is set for Aug. 18.

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