Dan Sullivan groups spent $1.5 million on golf resorts and luxury lodging

Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan has spent more than $1.5 million worth of campaign funds at luxury hotels and restaurants, according to his financial reports.

Lawmakers are permitted to spend campaign cash on meal and travel accommodations, but federal law stipulates that these expenditures must be related to official activities and cannot be for personal use.

Sullivan’s suspicious spending encompasses nearly his entire Senate career, from 2015 to his current reelection campaign. He is seeking a third term this year and is expected to face former Rep. Mary Peltola in the general election.

The spending was spread across three groups: Alaskans for Dan Sullivan, his official campaign apparatus; Sullivan Victory, a joint fundraising committee tied to his Senate campaign; and True North PAC, a Sullivan-led group that supports other Republicans.

In the first quarter of 2026, these entities spent a combined $65,847 on food and lodging, about 92% of which was spent outside Alaska. This includes spending $3,500 on a stay at the Four Seasons resort in Palm Beach, FL.

In 2025, these groups spent $333,291 on lodging, meals, and catering, more than double their 2024 figure of $164,936.

Some of Sullivan’s most prominent spending over the last decade has been at hotels known for their golf accommodations. The Alaska Democrats put out a press release documenting this trend in April.

“While we’re paying $5 for a gallon of gas, choosing between paying for groceries or health care, and struggling to afford housing, Self-Serving Sullivan has literally been wining and dining Lower 48 special interest donors at luxurious golf resorts,” said Alaska Democratic Party Chair Eric Croft.

An example is the La Quinta Resort & Club in Palm Springs, CA, where Sullivan groups have reported 24 payments over the years totaling $160,737. These charges were for lodging, meals, and event space.

While La Quinta is generally considered a mid-tier hotel chain, its Palm Springs property is a palatial resort with five golf courses, sprawling rose gardens, and private swimming pools. It’s also where season 16 of The Bachelorette was filmed.

Between 2022 and 2025, Sullivan groups reported spending more than $151,000 on lodging and events on Kiawah Island, a barrier island off the South Carolina coast. Most of this was spent at the Kiawah Golf Resort, the site of the 2021 PGA Championship.

Bloomberg News reported in October 2025 that Sullivan co-hosted a fundraiser on Kiawah Island with Arkansas Sen. John Boozman during a government shutdown. Boozman is an avid golfer.

Sullivan groups reported spending $21,000 earlier this year at The Phoenician in Scottsdale, AZ, which has a golf course designed by renowned architect Phil Smith. The private resort also has a three-story spa and is known for hosting celebrity guests.

Rooms at The Phoenician can cost as much as $9,500 per night.

Between 2019 and 2025, Sullivan groups reported spending $2,441 at The Breakers resort in Palm Beach, which has an oceanside golf course and is a short drive from President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.

The lavish spending stands in contrast to Sullivan’s efforts to project a working-class persona, including regularly attending campaign events dressed in work boots and a Carhartt jacket.

Quiver Quantitative estimates Sullivan’s net worth to be $8.4 million.