The Alaska Democratic Party is suing the state Division of Elections over a lack of financial disclosure made by a candidate running for a legislative seat.
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In a legal brief filed Thursday, attorneys for the state Democrats say Jose Tagle, a Republican candidate for House District 22, did not list any personal income or business interests when he filed to run for the seat. Tagle is the sole challenger to incumbent Democratic Anchorage Rep. Ted Eischeid.
Publicly available state business records show Tagle has a 40% ownership stake in the Anchorage-based company Stardust LLC.
The Alaska Democrats filed a candidate eligibility complaint with the Division of Elections on June 5, requesting that Tagle be removed from the ballot for filing a blank financial disclosure form, despite having documented business interests.
Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher denied the complaint two weeks later, saying it was, “beyond the scope of DOE’s review,” according to the legal brief. Instead, Beecher said, the Alaska Public Offices Commission, or APOC, was charged with reviewing Tagle’s financial disclosure.
Efforts to reach Tagle by phone for comment were unsuccessful. He doesn’t have an email address or campaign website listed with the Division of Elections.
In the lawsuit, filed in late June, the state Democratic party asked a state Superior Court judge to reverse the Division of Elections’ decision and rule that Tagle is ineligible to run in the 2026 election. Oral arguments in the case are set for Aug. 7.
Requests for comment to the Division of Elections were directed to the state Department of Law. A Department of Law spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request emailed Friday.
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Officials with the Alaska Democratic Party declined an interview request but issued a press release Thursday.
“When a candidate does not even attempt to disclose their financial interests, voters are left in the dark,” wrote Jenny Marie-Stryker, the party’s executive director. “The Division of Elections has a responsibility to enforce candidate eligibility requirements.”
APOC officials did not respond to questions about whether the state Democratic party filed a complaint with the commission or if the commission investigated Tagle’s lack of financial disclosure.
The Tagle case is at least the second time the state Division of Elections has been sued during the 2026 election cycle.
U.S. Senate candidate Dan J. Sullivan of Petersburg sued the division over being removed from the ballot, after division officials said he intended to confuse voters by listing his name and political party in a similar manner to another Dan Sullivan, the incumbent Republican U.S. Senator.
The Alaska Supreme Court ruled in late June that the division was wrong to exclude the non-incumbent Sullivan and ordered the division to put him back on the ballot.
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