Alaska Senate Race Features Two Candidates Named Dan Sullivan

Alaska's U.S. Senate race will feature two candidates named Dan Sullivan on the November ballot. " with "(Registered Republican) Incumbent" and the challenger as "Sullivan, Daniel J. " with no party affiliation. The state Supreme Court overturned an earlier decision by the Division of Elections that had removed the challenger from the August primary ballot.

Officials had concluded the candidacy was intended to "confuse or mislead" voters. The court directed officials to keep the name on the ballot within existing state design rules.

Background on the Candidates The incumbent is Alaska's two-term Republican senator seeking reelection. The challenger is a retired school teacher who describes himself as an independent Republican. He had previously contributed to Democratic candidates, including the Democratic nominee.

Election officials said the challenger initially asked to appear as a Republican despite no prior party affiliation. He also requested the ballot name "Dan S. Sullivan" before changing the request. An attorney for the state told the court the similarity was unlikely to be accidental.

The Democratic nominee is former Rep.

Mary Peltola. A nonpartisan polling firm said the state's ranked-choice system makes it likely both Sullivans and Peltola will advance to a November runoff. The Cook Political Report rates the race as a toss-up. The challenger told the Associated Press he had "zero, none, zilch" contact with Peltola's campaign.

The race is one of several competitive contests that could determine Senate control in November.