DOUBLE DAN

Voters Hit With a Same-Name Senate Curveball

The race is considered “lean Republican.”

Two Dan Sullivans are running for Senate in Alaska—both as Republicans. On Friday, former teacher and U.S. Forest Service employee Dan Sullivan announced his candidacy to replace incumbent two-term senator... Dan Sullivan. “We need a Sullivan who stands up for Alaska,” the newer Sullivan’s campaign website reads. To prevent confusion at the ballot box, middle initials will be used, a state Division of Elections spokesperson told KTUU Anchorage. A nonpartisan primary will take place in August; from there, the top four candidates will compete in the ranked-choice general election in November. Also on the ballot is Democratic former Rep. Mary Peltola, who held the state’s at-large House seat from August 2022 until last January. Several election forecasters rate the race as “lean Republican.” It’s not the first time voters may feel like they’re seeing double; in 2020, two men named Jerry Garcia ran for constable in the Houston area (one Garcia won). In 2025 alone, candidates in 215 elections across 15 states shared a last name with their competitor.