National group files federal complaint against US Senate candidate Dan J. Sullivan

A Republican-aligned group on Tuesday filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission against Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dan J. Sullivan. 

Sullivan, who shares the same first and last name as incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, is one of four candidates in the general election. Dan J. Sullivan had 2.5% of the vote in the August primary. Dan S. Sullivan had more than 41%. Democratic candidate Mary Peltola finished first, with 49.5% of the vote.

The complaint by Virginia-based Americans for Public Trust accuses Dan J. Sullivan of illegally working with a third-party group, the Alaska-based 907 Initiative. That group has run ads against Dan S. Sullivan in the current election.

In a statement, Americans for Public Trust labeled Dan J. Sullivan “Decoy Dan,” repeating a term used by supporters of the incumbent. 

According to the complaint, a 907 Initiative board member, Amber Lee, worked as a consultant for Dan J. Sullivan when he set up his campaign. 

Federal law prohibits candidates’ campaigns from coordinating with third-party groups, which are allowed to spend unlimited amounts of money in federal elections.

Contacted by email, Lee said the complaint is nonsensical.

“This allegation misrepresents both my role and how independent expenditures operate. I serve as an unpaid member of the 907 Initiative board. I am not an employee of the organization, and I do not manage its independent expenditure activity. The limited support I provided for Dan Sullivan as a consultant did not violate campaign finance laws,” she said by email.

Aubrey Wieber, executive director of the 907 Initiative, said on Tuesday that the group has not been working with Dan J. Sullivan.

“907 Initiative is in full compliance with applicable campaign finance laws, including federal coordination rules. Allegations to the otherwise are solely intended to distract from Senator Sullivan’s record of voting with DC, at the expense of Alaskans,” he said by email.

The complaint was first published by Republican-friendly news outlets, including the New York Post. 

The complaint is not expected to directly impact Alaska’s ongoing U.S. Senate election. The Federal Elections Commission has lacked a quorum for more than a year, leaving it unable to act on complaints. 

As of Sept. 1, more than 300 commission matters remained unresolved.