Summary
Alaska’s Senate ballot includes incumbent Republican Dan S. Sullivan and another candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan, after courts allowed both names to remain. The dispute has raised concerns about voter confusion, while reporting described an alleged effort by people aligned with Democrat Mary Peltola to recruit the second Sullivan; Peltola has denied involvement.Key Facts
- Alaska adopted a nonpartisan top-four primary and ranked-choice general election system in 2020, first using it in 2022.
- The four Senate candidates who advanced from the August primary were Mary Peltola, Sen. Dan Sullivan, Daniel J. Sullivan and Republican Gerald Heikes.
- Peltola received 49.5% of the primary vote, Sen. Sullivan received 41.4%, and Daniel J. Sullivan received 2.5%.
- Daniel J. Sullivan is a retired teacher from rural Alaska who announced his candidacy in June.
- Alaska’s elections director rejected Daniel J. Sullivan’s ballot eligibility, saying his actions appeared intended to confuse voters; he denied being a sham candidate.
- A judge overturned the elections director’s decision, and the Alaska Supreme Court upheld that ruling, allowing both Sullivans to appear on the ballot.
- Under ranked-choice voting, voters may rank candidates, and votes are redistributed from eliminated candidates until one candidate has a majority.
- The article reports an alleged secret effort by people aligned with Peltola’s campaign to recruit Daniel J. Sullivan; Peltola has denied involvement.
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