Alaska's Senate Race Features Two Dan Sullivans, Sparking Fraud Allegations and a DOJ Lawsuit

Alaska voters who open their Senate ballot this year will find two men named Dan Sullivan. One is the Republican incumbent, listed as Dan S. Sullivan and marked as a registered Republican and the incumbent. The other appears first, as Sullivan, Daniel J. Jr., with no party affiliation. Rounding out the four-person field are another candidate, Gerald Heikes, and the Democrat, Mary Peltola.

The duplicate name has become the center of a fight that now involves the governor, the Justice Department and the president. The race between Sullivan and Peltola has looked tighter than expected in a state Donald Trump carried by double digits in 2024.

The setting is Alaska's election system, which voters changed in 2020 and first used in 2022. It features a nonpartisan primary and a ranked-choice general election. Voters may rank as many or as few candidates as they like. A candidate with more than 50 percent of first choices wins outright. Otherwise the last-place finisher is eliminated and those ballots move to their next choice, and the process repeats until someone has a majority. In August's primary, Peltola led with 49.5 percent and Sen. Sullivan took 41.4 percent. Daniel J. Sullivan finished third with 2.5 percent.

Daniel J. Sullivan is a retired teacher from rural Alaska. He announced his candidacy in June, and the incumbent responded by trying to get him removed, calling him a sham candidate out to trick voters. He says he is sincerely running. Elections Director Carol Beecher sided with the senator that month and ruled him ineligible, citing a determined and deliberate attempt to confuse voters. She said the filing was not a good-faith candidacy but one made to mislead and compromise the ballot's fairness or neutrality. Among her findings: he once tried to file as plain Dan Sullivan, though he had never voted under that name; he tried to list S as his middle initial, matching the senator's; his campaign website resembled the incumbent's; and he first asked to be listed as a Republican, though the state had no record of him belonging to the party.

He appealed. A court overturned Beecher's decision later that month, finding the state lacked the power to judge whether a candidate runs in good faith. The state Supreme Court upheld that ruling days afterward, and both Sullivans stayed on the ballot. Republicans have since worked to separate the two, including a radio jingle: "Dan S., Daniel, Gerry – just don't rank Mary!"

Republicans had long claimed the second Sullivan had Democratic ties. The New York Times then reported, citing text messages and interviews, that a Democratic operative who had worked with Peltola's campaign and national Democrats helped encourage him to run. The Times said this appeared to be part of a broader push to draw more candidates into the race. Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a Republican, said on X that the reporting showed an organized effort to manipulate the election and substantially supported the Division of Elections' earlier findings. He directed the Department of Public Safety to investigate whether state law was broken and whether criminal or civil action is warranted. Sullivan campaign spokesman Nate Adams accused Peltola of months of gaslighting.

Peltola's campaign denies involvement, and a spokesperson for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said it is not involved with Dan J. Sullivan. In Juneau on Thursday, Peltola said she knew of no candidates other than herself and the incumbent, was not interested in tricking voters, and could beat Sullivan. The DSCC has argued that Republicans have stacked Alaska ballots in the past, including in this year's primary.

The Justice Department entered the fight last week with a lawsuit seeking to preemptively challenge certification if Sullivan loses. Its argument is that a loss caused by votes mistakenly cast for Daniel J. Sullivan should render the election invalid. Attorney General Todd Blanche said the suit is not saying "don't certify," but that certification should not proceed if a court finds the result stemmed from confusion rather than the voters' will. He said confusion might be evident from how ballots rank the two Sullivans or omit one. Trump said the filing came at his direction and wrote on Truth Social that Peltola should not be allowed to run, calling it election fraud. Peltola's campaign called the suit a despicable threat to overturn an election.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski opposed the lawsuit, saying Alaskans need no help voting for their preferred candidates and that the state had already distinguished the candidates on the ballot. After the Times report, she criticized Peltola's campaign, citing a pattern of lies and a culture of deception.

Legal experts expect little to change. States hold primary authority over the times, places and manner of elections. CBS News contributor and election law expert David Becker said Alaska's courts have already ruled under state law, the DOJ suit has no legal basis and will not stop certification, and almost certainly no crime was committed. He called such tactics unfortunate but not unusual, and said both parties have used them. Alaska's voters will decide the race, and the state investigation Dunleavy ordered is the next thing to watch.