Dan Sullivan

Alaska Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom (R), who oversees the state's elections, is investigating a GOP Senate challenger with the same name as the incumbent Republican senator, Dan Sullivan, in an alleged effort to confuse voters.

Dahlstrom wrote in a letter to the challenger, Daniel J. Sullivan, Jr., on Monday to determine whether he may appear on the Aug. 18 primary ballot, The Hill reported.

Sullivan, Jr., is a former U.S. Forest Service employee and elementary school teacher from Petersburg, Alaska, and filed to challenge the incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan last month. The GOP challenger's campaign website says “Dan Sullivan.”

“The Division [of Elections] must determine whether your declaration of candidacy was properly filed with good-faith intention to serve, and in the event it is, how your name should appear on the primary election ballot to avoid voter confusion,” Dahlstrom wrote in her letter to Sullivan. “I’m troubled by the allegation that you filed for office in coordination with another campaign with the intention of confusing Alaskan voters in a way that will benefit one candidate over another.

"If true, it suggests that your declaration of candidacy, which was submitted under penalty of perjury, was not genuine and not properly filed," she continued.

Dahlstrom told Sullivan, Jr., that "it was alleged that you filed for office with the intent to use your identical first and last name and newfound affiliation with the Republican Party to confuse or deceive voters who intend to vote for Senator Sullivan into mistakenly voting for you instead."

"The allegations here, if true, would amount to not only deception of voters but diminish the rights of another candidate solely for the purpose of diverting valid votes and sowing confusion among voters," she added.

Dahlstrom requested that Sullivan, Jr., submit a sworn affidavit answering several questions, including whether he was previously affiliated with the GOP, always used the nickname “Dan,” and describe the design process behind his campaign website and logo.

The lieutenant governor's letter included Sullivan, Jr.'s prior letter to the Alaska Division of Elections, which he wrote in response to a letter from the National Republican Senatorial Committee that started the investigation.

The NRSC's letter, obtained by Politico, sought to block Sullivan, Jr., from appearing on the primary ballot and urged Dahlstrom to investigate him.

The committee's letter alleged that Sullivan, Jr., coordinated with Democratic strategist Amber Lee and others to “proactively confuse Alaskan voters and rig the voting system” to benefit the incumbent Sullivan's main rival for the seat, former Rep. Mary Peltola (D).

Sullivan, Jr., denied the allegations in an interview with The Associated Press, saying he had been considering running for Senate for more than a decade and that he has had no contact with Peltola’s campaign.

“I have every right to run for whatever office I’m qualified for, and I’m qualified for this office,” he said.

The incumbent senator last week threatened to file a lawsuit over the issue.

“Everybody in Alaska knows I’m Dan Sullivan-R. So he’s trying to do that. Why?” the senator said to reporters, referring to the challenger. “He’s not an R. He’s purposely trying to trick my constituents to rig the election for Peltola.”

Harry Child, a spokesman for Peltola's campaign, told the AP that it “has no involvement in either Sullivan campaign.” Alaska Democratic Party Executive Director Jenny-Marie Stryker said that her organization “is in no way affiliated with either Dan Sullivan.”

Lee didn't respond to The Hill's request for comment.