Second Dan Sullivan Advances in Alaska Senate Primary
A retired teacher who shares his name with Alaska's Republican incumbent has qualified for the November Senate ballot after a court fight over ballot eligibility.
A candidate sharing the name of Alaska's incumbent U.S. senator has advanced to the general election in one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country this fall.
Dan J. Sullivan, who goes by Dan Sullivan, finished among the top four in the Aug. 18 primary and on Tuesday moved on to the November contest, which uses ranked choice voting. Incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democratic former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola also advanced.
The challenger, a retired teacher from Petersburg, sued for a spot on the ballot after a top state elections official said he had filed his candidacy intending to confuse voters — an allegation pushed by the senator and his Republican allies. The Alaska Supreme Court ultimately ruled him eligible.
The challenger sought to appear on the ballot as Republican Dan J. Sullivan, but the Division of Elections listed him as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. with no party affiliation. The incumbent is listed as Dan S. Sullivan, Republican.
President Donald Trump endorsed the incumbent senator and called the challenger's candidacy an attempt to trick voters. Dan J. Sullivan criticized the incumbent for embracing that endorsement, saying Trump was "more interested in raising tariffs on our allies than in lowering the cost of groceries, housing and energy."
It remains too early to determine who will fill the fourth and final slot in the race.
The Senate contest was one of three major races on Alaska's primary ballot, alongside the state's lone U.S. House seat and the governor's race. Republican Rep. Nick Begich advanced in the House race along with independent Bill Hill. In the governor's race, Democrats Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins and Tom Begich — an uncle of Nick Begich — advanced, along with Republican Bernadette Wilson.
The incumbent Sullivan and Peltola remain the leading Senate candidates after raising the most money and building statewide name recognition. Alaska's ranked choice system means third- and fourth-place finishers could still shape the eventual winner if their supporters rank other candidates.
This article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI), in accordance with our editorial policy.
