A retired schoolteacher who met every constitutional requirement to run for U.S. Senate got thrown off the ballot by Alaska's Republican establishment—because he shares a name with the incumbent senator. The Alaska Supreme Court had to step in to force the state to put him back on, exposing just how far the uniparty will go to keep outsiders off the ballot and deny voters a choice.

Dan J. Sullivan, a retired elementary and middle school teacher from the island town of Petersburg, filed to challenge Sen. Dan Sullivan in the Aug. 18 primary. Same name, same party—and that was enough for the GOP machine to cry foul. The incumbent and his allies accused the challenger of being a "sham candidate" coordinating with Democrats to sow confusion and boost Rep. Mary Peltola, the Democrat seeking the seat. Both Sullivan and the Peltola campaign have denied any coordination.

Then the state went further. Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, who oversees elections, announced an investigation into Dan J. Sullivan. A top elections official booted him from the ballot entirely. It took the Alaska Supreme Court to order his reinstatement.

The Anchorage Daily News, which covered the story in detail from Petersburg, found neighbors who could not square the party's "sham" framing with the man they know. Orin Pierson, publisher of the local Petersburg Pilot newspaper, said: "You really have to do a lot of mental gymnastics to suddenly not respect Dan Sullivan, because he's honestly a very stand-up human being." Borough Assembly member Jeigh Stanton Gregor, who worked with Sullivan at the local elementary school, called his character "unimpeachable."

Even residents who plan to vote for Peltola saw the state's maneuver for what it was. "To say somebody can't run—that he's fake—that's fear," said Linda Bunge, a community potluck attendee who said she would probably vote for Peltola but would consider the challenger Sullivan.

Alaska's open primary system sends the top four vote-getters to a ranked-choice general election, which means crowded fields are the norm—16 candidates filed for this Senate race alone. Only the incumbent and Peltola have reported raising any money. The challenger Sullivan has none of the machinery, none of the donors, and none of the establishment's blessing. What he has is a constitutional right to run—and a Supreme Court that had to remind the state of that fact.

The New York Times did not cover the Alaska race, offering no reporting on the ballot-access fight.

The question isn't whether Dan J. Sullivan wins. It's whether party bosses and compliant election officials should be able to vaporize a lawful candidate because his presence is inconvenient. The Supreme Court said no. The establishment clearly thinks otherwise.