A second candidate named Dan Sullivan has filed to run for Alaska's U.S. Senate seat, prompting criticism from Republicans who say the move is designed to create voter confusion in a state that uses ranked choice voting.
The incumbent, Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, first won his Senate seat in 2015 and most recently secured reelection in 2022 with 53.9% of the vote against independent challenger Al Gross. His potential Democratic opponent, former Rep. Mary Peltola, has also announced her candidacy for the seat.
National Republican Senate Committee Spokesperson Nick Puglia told Fox News Digital that the effort amounts to a deceptive political maneuver aimed at confusing voters rather than competing on policy merits.
What the Right Is Saying
Republicans have been more direct in their condemnation of the filing. Beyond Puglia's statement that "Mary Peltola and Chuck Schumer know they can't beat Senator Sullivan on his record, so they're resorting to deceitful political maneuvers," conservative strategists argue the timing and circumstances suggest coordination between the second Sullivan campaign and Democratic interests.
The NRSC contends this represents a deliberate attempt to exploit Alaska's ranked choice voting system. Under that system, voters rank candidates in order of preference, and if their first choice is eliminated, their vote transfers to their second selection. Republicans worry that confused voters might inadvertently support the wrong candidate or that the duplicate name could split votes in unpredictable ways.
Alaska Republican Party officials have not issued a formal statement but are expected to launch voter education efforts before August's primary to clarify which Sullivan is the incumbent senator.
What the Left Is Saying
Democratic strategists and progressive allies have not directly responded to requests for comment about the second Sullivan campaign. Supporters of this approach, speaking generally about similar tactics used in elections, argue that candidates with identical names appearing on ballots is a legal practice that falls within existing election regulations. Some Democrats may contend that Republicans should address their candidate's record rather than object to ballot procedures.
Progressive commentators have noted that Alaska's open primary system means multiple candidates from various parties will appear on the same ballot in August, and voters ultimately determine which four advance to the general election. Under this framing, having two candidates with similar names is simply a consequence of the state's electoral structure rather than an intentional deception.
The campaign website states that its Dan Sullivan entered politics after becoming frustrated with federal inefficiency and lack of long-term thinking in government. According to his biography, he worked blue-collar jobs including logging, construction, bartending and forestry before deciding to run.
What the Numbers Show
Alaska will hold its Senate primary on Aug. 18, with the top four candidates advancing to the general election regardless of party affiliation. The state has used ranked choice voting since passing Ballot Measure 2 in 2020.
Sen. Sullivan won his most recent election with 53.9% of the vote compared to Al Gross's 41.2%. In that contest, he secured a majority in the first round and avoided a ranked choice runoff.
Alaska's at-large congressional district has become increasingly competitive. Peltola, a Democrat, won the seat in 2022 by defeating Republican Sarah Palin in a ranked choice count after neither candidate reached 50% initially.
Amber Lee, identified as a Democratic strategist who authored the announcement for the second Sullivan campaign, runs consulting firm Amber Strategies. The firm lists progressive clients including Alaska Women Ascent, which trains women candidates who are described as "pro-choice, pro-LGBTQ rights, pro-union, anti-racist and pro-racial justice."
The Bottom Line
The emergence of a lookalike candidate adds uncertainty to what was already expected to be one of the most competitive Senate races of 2026. Republicans have months to conduct voter education before Alaska's primary, and party officials are likely to invest in clarifying communications identifying their nominee.
Democrats have not publicly acknowledged any connection to the second Sullivan campaign, though metadata ties the filing to Lee, who has been described by multiple outlets as a Peltola supporter. The question of whether coordination occurred could become an issue if the race draws national attention.
For now, both Sullivans will appear on the August primary ballot alongside other Senate candidates including Peltola and any additional filers. Whether voters can easily distinguish between them may depend heavily on how each campaign structures its communications in the coming months.