The two candidates named Dan Sullivan running for Alaska’s U.S. Senate seat will be distinguished on the ballot by their middle initials, a move required under state law to reduce voter confusion.
The unusual situation has injected a fresh dose of controversy into one of the country’s most competitive Senate races. Incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) is seeking another term while facing a challenge from former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola, who is mounting a well-funded campaign in a state Democrats hope can help the party regain a Senate majority in 2026.
Complicating matters is the entry of another Republican candidate who shares the same name as the incumbent senator: Dan Sullivan.
Under Alaska’s election laws, candidates with the same last name are ordered on the ballot by first name and, when necessary, middle initial. Voters will see the incumbent listed as “Dan S. Sullivan” and his challenger as “Dan J. Sullivan.” The two have no known relation.
Dan J. Sullivan announced his candidacy last week, arguing that the incumbent has lost sight of Alaska’s interests.
“For too long, Senator Sullivan has failed to put Alaska first,” he said in a campaign statement. “When you truly care about a people and a place, you have a duty to make every sacrifice within your power to protect them. That’s why I’m running.”
The peculiar race has generated controversy, with Republicans accusing Democrats of encouraging the candidacy to siphon votes from the incumbent. Alaska’s open primary system allows all candidates to compete on the same ballot regardless of party affiliation, meaning both Sullivans will appear together in the August primary.
Sen. Sullivan on Tuesday alleged that Democrats were deliberately attempting to manipulate the race.
“They all orchestrated this on purpose to confuse Alaskans,” the senator said. “These guys are purposely trying to trick my constituents to rig — and I don’t use that lightly — rig an election in favor of my opponent.”
Peltola’s campaign has denied any involvement with Dan J. Sullivan’s candidacy.
The controversy has also prompted intervention from the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the Senate GOP’s campaign arm. In a letter sent Monday to Alaska election officials, the NRSC urged the state to remove Dan J. Sullivan from the ballot.
“Alaska regulations provide that a candidate’s name may not appear on the ballot in a manner that is ‘confusing or misleading to voters or compromises the fairness or neutrality of the ballot,’” the committee wrote. “You must uphold your statutory obligation to enforce those regulations and protect the principles they safeguard by keeping Sham Candidate Sullivan off the ballot.”
The name confusion is not entirely unprecedented in Alaska politics. When Sen. Sullivan was first elected in 2014, another politician with the same name, Dan A. Sullivan, the then-mayor of Anchorage, appeared on the primary ballot as a candidate for lieutenant governor.
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Under Alaska’s ranked choice election system, the top four finishers in the state’s nonpartisan primary advance to the general election. This year’s primary is scheduled for Aug. 18.
Although Alaska has not elected a Democrat to the Senate in nearly two decades, Democrats view the state as increasingly competitive after a series of closer statewide races and a gradual shift toward the political center in recent election cycles. With control of the Senate hanging in the balance, both parties are expected to monitor a race that now features not one, but two Dan Sullivans.
