An Alaskan Republican who shares the same name as the state’s incumbent, Sen. Dan Sullivan, advanced past the open primary for the seat, worsening a muddled GOP situation that could benefit Democrats.
Retired teacher Dan J. Sullivan made the cut in Alaska’s open contest, which sends the top four candidates from either party to the general election. He will join GOP Sen. Dan S. Sullivan and Democratic ex-Rep. Mary Peltola in the final stretch. It was not immediately clear who the fourth candidate on the ballot will be.
Alaska’s general election in November will use ranked-choice voting. Peltola has been leading in polls for the critical Alaska Senate contest, even though the state typically leans Republican.
Dan J. Sullivan has denied accusations that he is a Democratic plant aiming to siphon votes from Sen. Sullivan by having the same name, thereby boosting Peltola. He maintains he is a moderate Republican, despite previously stating he voted for the Democratic nominee in the last three presidential cycles, attended at least one “No Kings” protest, and supported Peltola in both of her congressional campaigns.
The Last Frontier state last elected a Democrat to the Senate in 2008. However, Peltola successfully flipped Alaska’s at-large U.S. House seat in 2022, demonstrating her strength in statewide races.
Democrats view Alaska as one of their top four opportunities for a Senate pickup this cycle, alongside Maine, Ohio, and North Carolina. The inclusion of Dan J. Sullivan on the ballot has complicated matters for Republicans.
Initially, a lower court judge removed Dan J. Sullivan from the ballot, citing evidence that he was not mounting an “actual good-faith candidacy.” However, the Alaska Supreme Court later reinstated him. The lower court judge had disqualified him for registering as a Republican just days before filing his candidacy.
Peltola's campaign has faced its own recent challenges. Earlier in August, her campaign stated it did not approve of a fundraising message from former Vice President Kamala Harris in support of her Senate bid. Harris had urged her supporters to back Peltola, who is competing in a state that Harris lost by approximately 14 percentage points.
Following the incident, Peltola lost several senior campaign officials in what her team described as a shake-up to prepare for the general election. She has been attempting to run as a centrist Democrat to appeal to Alaska's famously independent voters.
Peltola holds a 2-percentage-point lead over Sen. Sullivan in the latest RealClearPolitics aggregate of polls for a hypothetical two-way matchup.