NBC News Top Stories
· collected 2026-08-24 · by Raquel Coronell Uribe
Alaska's Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan received an endorsement from Dan A. Sullivan, the former mayor of Anchorage and fellow Republican, in his re-election bid against Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola and another candidate with the same name, Dan J. Sullivan. According to preliminary primary vote results, Peltola leads with 48% of the vote, followed by Sen. Dan S. Sullivan at 43%. The Alaska Senate race is considered a tossup, with Democrats viewing it as an opportunity to flip control in November.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-24,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Dan S. Sullivan, a Republican senator from Alaska, will face off against Mary Peltola, a former Democratic congresswoman, in the state's Senate election this November. Both candidates advanced to the general election after the primary, which used ranked-choice voting and allowed the top four finishers to move on regardless of party affiliation.
The unusual aspect of this election is that there are two other candidates with the same last name as Senator Sullivan: Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher who ran as a Republican, and Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a former employee of the US Forest Service who was listed on the ballot with no party affiliation. The latter candidate had initially sought to confuse voters by filing under his full name, but a court ruled in favor of allowing him to appear on the ballot.
Alaska's top-four primary system and ranked-choice voting have created a unique dynamic, with three candidates sharing the same last name competing against each other. This has led to accusations that Dan J. Sullivan is a "Democratic plant" trying to draw votes away from the incumbent senator and benefit Mary Peltola, who is also running for the seat.
The endorsement of Senator Dan S. Sullivan by Dan A. Sullivan, a former mayor of Anchorage, has added another layer to this complex election. With primary votes still being counted, Peltola leads with 48% of the vote, followed closely by Senator Sullivan at 43%. The outcome of this election is likely to have significant implications for control of the US Senate in the upcoming midterm elections.
Written for “Alaska Senate Primary Results” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 9 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
verbatim and was checked against the article text before being
stored, so you can find it in the original.
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The primary is decided by ranked-choice voting, and the top four finishers advance, regardless of political affiliation.
right neutral framing of election rules
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Democrats view the election as a seat they could flip in November.
left partisan statement from Democrats
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The Cook Political Report rates the race a tossup.
right neutral framing of election odds
Leaning score +0.15 for article 2085 (high confidence, 3 verified quotes) · logged 2026-08-27
A new Dan Sullivan has entered the conversation surrounding the Alaska Senate race, in which incumbent Dan S. Sullivan faces a candidate with the same name.
asserted
Sullivan → enter → name
The Republican former mayor of Anchorage, Dan A. Sullivan, endorsed GOP Sen. Dan S. Sullivan for re-election over retired teacher Dan J. Sullivan and Democratic former Rep. Mary Peltola on Tuesday.
asserted
mayor → endorse → Tuesday
“As the OG Dan Sullivan, I urge Alaskans to vote for Sen. Dan S. Sullivan.
asserted
I → urge → Sullivan
He’s been great for Alaska,” the former mayor wrote on Facebook.
asserted
mayor → write → Facebook
Both Dan S. Sullivan and Peltola advanced to the general election in November after the all-party primary last week.
asserted
Sullivan → advance → primary
The primary is decided by ranked-choice voting, and the top four finishers advance, regardless of political affiliation.
asserted
finishers → decide → affiliation
NBC News has not yet made a call regarding who the other two candidates will be, but Dan J. Sullivan could be among them.
uncertain
Sullivan → make → them
Alaska’s Senate race is considered one of the most competitive this cycle, when control of the upper chamber hangs in the balance.
asserted
control → consider → balance
With primary votes left to count, Peltola so far has 48% of the vote, with Sen. Dan S. Sullivan taking 43%.
asserted
Sullivan → leave → %
Dan J. Sullivan — who is running as a Republican — has 2.4%, with other candidates getting considerably fewer votes.
asserted
candidates → run → votes
Democrats view the election as a seat they could flip in November.
uncertain
they → view → November
The Cook Political Report rates the race a tossup.
asserted
Report → rat → race
The Sullivan saga has drawn attention as former teacher Dan J. Sullivan’s candidacy has faced legal challenges.
asserted
candidacy → draw → challenges
Dan S. Sullivan and Republicans have alleged that the teacher was placed on the ballot to confuse voters and detract from the senator’s share of the vote, claiming he’s working with Peltola.
asserted
he → allege → Peltola
Dan J. Sullivan has denied coordinating with the Peltola campaign.
asserted
Sullivan → deny → campaign
Peltola has also denied any involvement with the second Sullivan campaign.
asserted
Peltola → deny → campaign
The Alaska Supreme Court ruled last month that Dan J. Sullivan can stay on the ballot after the state Division of Elections originally disqualified him.
asserted
Division → rule → him
NBC News has reported that state and federal prosecutors in Alaska were investigating whether the race could be part of a conspiracy to confuse voters.
uncertain
race → report → voters
A grand jury issued subpoenas this month to compel information from witnesses linked to Dan J. Sullivan’s campaign.
asserted
jury → issue → campaign
