By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-08-19 12:04:15 | Updated at 2026-08-19 12:15:13
19 minutes ago
Republican Senator Dan Sullivan has defeated the other 'imposter' Dan Sullivan in Alaska's Senate primary, ending one of the strangest ballot battles of the 2026 election.
The incumbent now faces a much bigger challenge in November: former Democratic Congressman Mary Peltola, who is seeking to turn Alaska's Senate race into a potential battleground for control of the chamber.
Peltola made history in 2022 when she became the first Alaska Native elected to Congress. She won Alaska's special election for its lone House seat that year and later won a full term, but lost her reelection bid to Republican Nick Begich in 2024.
The incumbent Sullivan, now in his second term, had spent months warning voters about the presence of another candidate with the same name.
His namesake, retired teacher Daniel J Sullivan Jr., was also on the ballot, prompting accusations from the senator that the challenger was deliberately trying to siphon away his votes.
In June, the incumbent told reporters on Capitol Hill that the other Sullivan was 'purposely trying to trick' his 'constituents to rig the election for Peltola.'
The other Dan Sullivan has denied being part of an effort to help Peltola.
But his past voting history aligns more with Democrats than his current political party.
President Trump accused Democrats of putting another man named 'Dan Sullivan' on the ballot to take votes away from the Republican senator and warned voters not to be fooled
Republican Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., admitted to voting for Democratic presidential candidates in each of the last three presidential elections and attended a 'No Kings' protest
In June, the incumbent Dan Sullivan told reporters on Capitol Hill that the other Sullivan was 'purposely trying to trick' his constituents to rig the election for former Congressman Nancy Peltola
In an interview with The New York Times, he said he voted for Democratic presidential candidates in each of the last three presidential elections.
He also said he voted for Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski and Peltola, and attended a 'No Kings' protest.
The incumbent's concerns about confusion were amplified on Monday night when President Donald Trump urged Alaskans on Truth Social to make sure they selected the correct candidate.
Trump accused Democrats of putting another man named 'Dan Sullivan' on the ballot to take votes away from the Republican senator and warned voters not to be fooled.
'Because of the trickery in the Voting, the Crooked, Radical Left Dumocrats have put up another man named 'Dan Sullivan,' and they did this to take Votes away from our Great Senator of the same name,' the president wrote.
'Democrats are trying to 'trick' Alaskans, and treat Alaskan Voters with contempt.'
He specifically told Alaskans that the candidate they should choose was:
'Sullivan, Dan S. — Registered Republican/Incumbent,' the president posted.
The unusual contest played out under Alaska's top-four primary system, in which candidates from all parties compete in a single primary and the four highest vote-getters advance to the general election.
Now, Sullivan and Peltola are set to face off in what could become one of the nation's closely watched Senate contests.
The race has the potential to become a battleground for control of the Senate, giving Democrats an opportunity to compete for a seat in a state that has generally favored Republicans in federal elections.
Democrats need to flip four seats to take control of the US Senate, with their top prospects lying in Maine and North Carolina.
The rest of the map - which includes races in Ohio, Iowa, Texas and Alaska, presents more difficult political terrain for the party.
