Former Anchorage mayor Dan Sullivan backs incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan in Alaska race

A third Sullivan enters the campaign

The race for Alaska's seat in the United States Senate features an unusual contest involving three Republican figures named Dan Sullivan. Incumbent Senator Dan S. Sullivan, aged 61, is campaigning for a third term in Washington. He faces a challenge from Dan J. Sullivan, a 70-year-old retired schoolteacher and former US Forest Service employee who entered politics without previous electoral experience. The nomination dispute took an unexpected turn when former Anchorage mayor Dan A. Sullivan, aged 75, stepped forward to endorse the incumbent over their shared namesake.

As the original Dan Sullivan, I urge Alaskans to vote for Senator Daniel S. Sullivan. He has been a great senator for Alaska.

Accusations of candidate deception

Dan A. Sullivan, who served on the Anchorage governing assembly between 1999 and 2008 before serving as mayor from 2009 to 2015, styled himself on Facebook as the original Dan Sullivan. His endorsement arrived as Republican party officials and Donald Trump argued that Dan J. Sullivan entered the contest to siphon conservative votes toward the Democratic nominee. Trump posted a message to voters on Truth Social on the day of the primary election.

The Dumocrats know how good he is and have put up an imposter of the same name.

Dan S. Sullivan similarly characterised his challenger as a fake candidate whose sequential placement on the ballot might mislead inattentive voters. Dan J. Sullivan rejected the accusation, maintaining that his candidacy was entirely independent and motivated by his moderate conservative background. He noted that both his father and grandfather were Republicans named Dan Sullivan.

I don't believe the Republican Party has to be the MAGA party.

Court rulings and primary results

Republican party leaders filed legal challenges to remove Dan J. Sullivan from the ballot, claiming his bid was a deceptive operation engineered to benefit Democrats. The Alaska Supreme Court dismissed those claims in July 2026, ruling that he had every constitutional right to appear before voters. Under Alaska's open primary system, candidates from all political parties compete on a single ballot, and the top four vote-getters advance to the general election.

In the 18 August 2026 primary, former Democratic congresswoman Mary Peltola secured first place with approximately 48% of the vote, leading Senator Dan S. Sullivan, who received 43%. Dan J. Sullivan gained 2.4% of the vote, which proved sufficient to claim fourth place and advance to November alongside Democrat David Leslie.

Senate balance and the November vote

The four qualifying candidates will compete in the 3 November 2026 general election. Alaska has maintained a Republican Senate seat for more than a decade, and no Democratic candidate has won the state in a presidential election since 1964. The Cook Political Report assesses the contest as a toss-up with no clear favourite, making every percentage point critical to the national balance of power in the Senate.