Dan J. Sullivan Jr., a Senate candidate in Alaska, has made headlines due to his shared name with current Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, R-Alaska. The Associated Press announced Sullivan Jr.’s advancement to the general election on Wednesday. He joins Sen. Sullivan and former Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, as the third of four final candidates. The fourth candidate remains unannounced.
Sullivan Jr.’s success complicates matters for Republicans. Two candidates having the same name presents challenges for informing voters about who to choose. The general election will use ranked-choice voting (RCV), a system that allows voters to rank candidates by preference. If a voter’s top choice is eliminated, their vote moves to their next preferred candidate.
“Like many others who did not support ranked choice voting in 2020, I still believe that this new election system has created unnecessary confusion among voters,” said Sen. Sullivan in 2024 to local Alaskan media.
Sullivan Jr., a logger, appeared on the ballot as an independent in the primary, securing 2.5% of the vote. His campaign plays on the name confusion. “Dan Sullivan challenges Dan Sullivan for U.S. Senate Seat, urges Alaskans to defeat incumbent, elect a Sullivan who stands up for Alaska,” states his campaign messaging.
His background includes roles in logging, construction, bartending, and forestry. Frustration over government handling motivated him to pursue a Senate seat. A Fox News Digital review discovered that Amber Lee, a progressive consultant, assisted in creating some of his campaign materials. Previously, she supported Peltola, the former congresswoman.
Critics within the Republican camp argue that running two “Dan Sullivans” is a strategy to draw votes away from the senator using the ranked-choice voting system. Alaska state Sen. James Kaufman has voiced concerns about potential voter confusion. He acknowledges that some voters, particularly Republicans, resist the RCV system.
“And so, the ballot fatigue where people just don’t rank because maybe they disagree with it; there’s a pretty strong segment of the population here that just patently disagrees with the ranked-choice voting system we ended up with,” Kaufman said.
Having passed the primary stage, Sen. Sullivan, Sullivan Jr., and Peltola will compete in the general election on November 3.
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