Breaking new reporting from MS NOW reveals that as Alaskans were celebrating the Fourth of July, Dan Sullivan was reciting the Declaration of Independence next to a Confederate flag at a church that has espoused extreme anti-LGBTQ views, including pushing to overturn a ban on conversion therapy.
Sullivan stood behind the Confederate flag at the “America Comes Alive” event at Mountain City Church in Anchorage, where leadership has publicly spoken out against the LGBTQ+ community – including pushing to overturn a ban on conversion therapy in Anchorage and condemning a Supreme Court decision that prevented Alaskans from being discriminated against for who they are and their sexual orientation.
Mountain City Church’s Senior Pastor Ron Hoffman recently “appeared in an ad backing Sullivan.”
MS NOW: GOP senator recites Declaration of Independence — next to a Confederate flag
By Kevin Frey
July 20, 2026
When Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, took the stage during the recent July Fourth weekend to recite the Declaration of Independence, there was one notable image just steps away: the Confederate battle flag.
Sullivan’s Senate campaign posted pictures on Facebook from the “America Comes Alive” event, which took place on July 5 at Mountain City Church in Anchorage. But his team omitted sharing any images featuring the flag.
A video of Sullivan’s remarks, obtained by MS NOW, shows he spoke glowingly about the Declaration of Independence and some of the “core ideas” in the document — including that we are all “created equal” and that everyone is guaranteed the right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
But as he spoke about the Declaration of Independence and recited the Founding Fathers’ words, Sullivan was just a few feet away from an image that has come to represent racism, oppression and white supremacy.
“I’ve reflected a lot on the meaning of the Declaration of Independence,” Sullivan said as he took the stage, according to a video posted online of his remarks. “We must always remain vigilant about safeguarding the rights and liberties so many Americans have fought and died for over the past 250 years.”
The image of Sullivan with the flag was posted online by the local outlet Must Read Alaska.
(Alaska, of course, was not part of the United States — let alone the Confederacy — during the Civil War. The U.S. purchased the Alaskan territory from Russia in 1867, and Alaska only became a state in 1959.)
The race could be critical for Democrats as they seek to flip control of the chamber. While MS NOW still rates this race as “lean Republican,” earlier this month, Cook Political Report updated its rating of the race, moving it to “toss up.”
Ahead of reading the Declaration of Independence, Sullivan took a moment to thank Mountain City Church lead pastor Ron Hoffman, who has grabbed headlines in recent years for wading publicly into social and health issues.
Hoffman has spoken out on LGBTQ issues, including opposing Anchorage’s ordinance restricting conversion therapy for minors and raising concerns about a U.S. Supreme Court ruling protecting the rights of gay and transgender workers.
Earlier this year, Hoffman appeared in an ad backing Sullivan, praising him for “making a difference” for the future of Alaska’s fisheries.
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