Former teacher Dan J. Sullivan will join Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democratic challenger Mary Peltola on the general election ballot in Alaska’s Senate race, NBC News projects.
Republicans have criticized the other Sullivan’s candidacy as a potential ploy to confuse voters in a key battleground race, which he has denied. Alaska’s election system might also blunt the impact of any confusion. The top four candidates, regardless of party, advance from Alaska’s all-party primary to a ranked-choice general election, meaning voters could rank both Sullivans.
But some voters end up ranking only one candidate, which could matter in a close race — and Alaska’s Senate race could be one of the closest in the country this year.
Democrats have targeted Alaska as an opportunity to flip a seat since well before the same-name saga consumed the race, even though President Donald Trump carried the state by double digits in each of the last three presidential elections.
Peltola, a former state legislator and city council member, became the first Alaska Native to represent the state in Congress when she won a statewide special election in 2022 and then a full term months later. Peltola lost her seat after one term by 3 percentage points, running well ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris at the top of the Democratic ticket in 2024.
Sullivan was first elected to the Senate in 2014, defeating a Democratic incumbent, and re-elected in 2020. A former Marine, he has touted his work for veterans and the state’s fishing industry.
His campaign and Republican allies have criticized the other Sullivan as a potential Democratic plant, noting that he only recently registered as a Republican and got help with his campaign launch from a Democratic consultant.
State and federal prosecutors are investigating whether his candidacy is part of a conspiracy to confuse voters. The federal investigation is moving forward, with a law enforcement official telling NBC News that a grand jury issued subpoenas last week to compel information from witnesses related to the Dan J. Sullivan campaign.
The candidate told The New York Times that he registered as a Republican because his previous political party, the Alaska Independence Party, no longer exists. He declined to detail his involvement with the Democratic consultant because of the ongoing investigation.
