DOJ's Alaska Injunction Memo Relies on the Division's June 15 Finding Against the Second Sullivan; the Alaska Courts Had Reversed It and Said It Lacked Evidence

What DOJ’s memorandum says the Division found

DOJ’s memorandum, filed October 30, 2026 with its preliminary-injunction motion, says: On June 15, the Division, through Director Beecher, “found that Daniel J. Sullivan’s declaration of candidacy was not properly filed with the Division.” It adds, “Defendant Beecher found likely voter confusion and a frivolous candidacy,” and “The State itself views Daniel J. Sullivan’s candidacy as ‘frivolous.’” It then says the New York Times report shows “an independent investigation revealed that Defendant Beecher’s conclusion was correct.”

What Exhibit A says

The attached June 15 letter from Director Carol Beecher says the candidacy was “not filed in order to declare an actual good-faith candidacy,” and “I am de-certifying your candidacy for United States Senator.” One listed fact is a consultant who is “a known longtime supporter of Democratic candidates including the primary Democratic challenger to Senator Sullivan.”

On the face of the exhibit, the letter uses the word “confuse” and does not use the word “frivolous.” The memorandum’s bullet list under the letter says Daniel J. Sullivan “admitted in a July 18, 2026, interview with The New York Times that he voted for Democrats in the last three presidential elections and voted for Peltola when she ran for Congress.” The letter predates that interview by a month, and the vote history is not among its listed facts.

What the Alaska courts did with that finding

The memorandum’s whole description of the Superior Court ruling is: “A trial court held that the Division erred in excluding Daniel J. Sullivan.” Alaska Public Media’s report of the June 26, 2026 Superior Court decision quotes Judge Thomas Matthews: the Division’s decision “was based upon a new, previously unstated, ‘good-faith’ criteria.” It also quotes his statement on the finding DOJ cites: the Director’s assertion that he “seeks to confuse or misguide voters is not supported by a preponderance of evidence,” and “the Division accepted at face-value the assertions of the complaint, and disregarded Mr. Sullivan’s assertions.”

The Alaska Supreme Court’s June 29, 2026 order says the Superior Court’s order directing the Division to include him on the primary ballot “is AFFIRMED,” and “A full opinion will be issued at a later date.” The memorandum states: “The court has yet to issue that opinion.”

Reading it

DOJ cites the Division’s June 15 finding as proof the candidacy was frivolous and confusing. The Superior Court held that finding unsupported by a preponderance of the evidence, and the Supreme Court affirmed. The memorandum describes the Superior Court ruling only as a holding that the Division “erred.” The court has not ruled on the motion.

Open

• The Supreme Court’s full opinion was not located.
• The Superior Court decision text was not read directly; the quotations above are as reported by Alaska Public Media.