The appearance of two Dan Sullivans on the ballot in Alaska’s U.S. Senate race brings to mind a similar controversy from the 2020 Florida state senate contest. In the Florida incident, ex-Republican state senator Frank Artiles faced accusations of paying a candidate to divert votes from the Democratic incumbent, Jose Javier Rodriguez. Unlike the Florida case, Alaska’s allegations are still under investigation.
Both controversies involve candidates with the same or similar names and accuse a political strategy called “ballot stacking.” Despite its perceived deception, this practice is not uncommon in the U.S. and generally remains legal.
The Case of the Two Dan Sullivans in Alaska
Alaska’s ranked choice voting system allowed four candidates from the U.S. Senate primary to appear on the November 3 ballot. They include former congresswoman Mary Peltola, Senator Dan Sullivan, Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., and Gerald Heikes.
The presence of Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. raised issues for former President Donald Trump. He criticized the ranked voting system and alleged that a sham candidate was on the ballot to aid Democrats. Alaska’s election officials suspected Sullivan Jr.’s candidacy was not genuine. Earlier, they had excluded him but reinstated his name following a court ruling.
The controversy worsened when Trump directed a lawsuit to block the race’s certification if votes cast for Sullivan Jr. affected the outcome. The lawsuit accused Sullivan Jr.’s candidacy of benefiting the Peltola campaign by reducing votes for Senator Sullivan.
Peltola and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee sought to dismiss the lawsuit, alleging Trump’s administration aimed to undermine election results without legal grounds. Meanwhile, reports suggested that Democrats recruited a namesake challenger to Republicans.
Elisa Rios, Peltola’s former campaign manager, revealed efforts to recruit a candidate with a similar name. She claimed Peltola was aware of this strategy but not involved. The Trump administration incorporated these allegations into the lawsuit, despite Peltola’s team refuting them as nonsense.
Eventually, a federal judge ruled in favor of Peltola’s team, dismissing the lawsuit. Experts termed the lawsuit meritless but acknowledged the genuine concerns over voter confusion. The Justice Department confirmed a criminal investigation into Sullivan Jr.’s candidacy, with an additional probe by Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy ongoing.
Florida’s 2020 State Senate Election: Two Rodriguez on the Ballot
In Florida’s 2020 state Senate race, candidate name confusion also surfaced. Jose Javier Rodriguez, the Democratic incumbent, faced Alex Rodriguez, an independent candidate. Ileana Garcia, a Republican, went on to win by a narrow margin.
In 2021, Frank Artiles was arrested and charged for recruiting a sham candidate to confuse voters and pull votes from the Democratic incumbent. Artiles allegedly paid $50,000 to Alex Rodriguez for running. Rodriguez later pled guilty to accepting illegal donations, and Artiles received a probation sentence after a conviction.
State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle confirmed that Ileana Garcia was not involved in the scheme. Despite Democratic calls for her resignation, Garcia remained and secured reelection in 2022.
Jose Javier Rodriguez now seeks the Attorney General position, currently held by Republican James Uthmeier.
Implications for the Alaska Senate Race
Artiles’ conviction centered on illegitimate payments to influence ballot outcomes, revealing the legal distinction in ballot stacking. Currently, no evidence suggests payments involving Peltola’s team or operatives in Alaska.
Alaska election officials acted to differentiate the two Dan Sullivans on ballots. Incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan appears as a “Republican” and “incumbent,” while Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., unaffiliated, uses a different presentation. FairVote highlighted that Alaska’s ranked choice voting system lowers the risk of split votes between duplicate names.
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