Alaska election officials have confirmed that two Dan Sullivans will appear on the November ballot for the US Senate: Republican Senator Dan Sullivan, seeking a third term, and Dan J Sullivan, a retired school teacher and Republican challenger who received 2.5% of the vote in the primary. The similar names could potentially confuse voters, but Alaska's ranked-choice voting system allows residents to rank multiple candidates, which may help prevent split votes. Despite his relatively low share of the vote, election officials say it's unclear how much of a threat Dan J Sullivan poses to Senator Sullivan's re-election chances.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-26,
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.
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Leaning score +0.35 for article 2645 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-08-27
Republican senator Dan S Sullivan will be joined on the November ballot in Alaska by a challenger with a nearly identical name from the same party, election officials confirmed on Tuesday, adding a twist to what is expected to be one of the most hotly contested races of the midterms.
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what → join → midterms
The Republican senator is running for a third term against Democrat Mary Peltola, a former US House representative whom polls show is neck-and-neck with him in a state that hasn’t sent a Democrat to the Senate since 2008.
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that → run → 2008
Alaska holds nonpartisan primaries in which the top four vote-getters advance to the general election.
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getters → hold → election
The Associated Press reported that with 85% of the ballots counted, Dan J Sullivan, a retired school teacher and US Forest Service employee running as a Republican, would appear on the ballot alongside incumbent Dan S Sullivan and Peltola, with a fourth candidate yet to be announced.
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candidate → report → Sullivan
The other Sullivan entered the race earlier this year, with the incumbent senator condemning him as a “sham” candidate who is running at the behest of Democrats to confuse his supporters and split their votes.
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who → enter → votes
In June, Alaska election officials disqualified the other Sullivan from the election, but the state supreme court ordered him restored.
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him → disqualify → election
The two were listed next to each other among the 16 candidates on primary ballots, but the senator had “registered Republican” and “incumbent” next to his name, while his similarly named challenger was unadorned.
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challenger → list → name
It’s unclear how much of a threat the other Sullivan may pose to the senator’s chances of winning re-election.
uncertain
Sullivan → ’ → election
His 2.5% of the vote is much less than the more than 48% received by Peltola and almost 43% senator Sullivan won in last week’s primary.
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Sullivan → receive → primary
Alaska uses ranked-choice voting for general elections for congressional offices, raising the possibility that residents who want to vote for the senator but are confused by the similar names can rank both, with their votes likely to wind up going to the incumbent.
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votes → use → incumbent
In addition to Alaska, Democratic leaders are seeking to win Senate seats from Republicans in North Carolina, Ohio, Texas and Iowa, all of which voted for Donald Trump in 2024.
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all → seek → 2024
They also hope to pick up a seat in blue state Maine, while defending Democratic-held seats in Michigan, Georgia and New Hampshire.
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They → hope → Michigan
