By Daniel Orton
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Alaska election officials have unveiled their solution to one of the year's most-unusual election disputes, releasing sample ballots that seek to distinguish between two Republican Senate candidates with nearly identical names.
The newly published ballots list incumbent Senator Dan S. Sullivan as a "Registered Republican" and mark him as the "Incumbent." Meanwhile, his namesake challenger appears under his full name, "Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.," without a party designation displayed beneath his name.
Newsweek contacted the Alaska Division of Elections and both Sullivan campaigns for comment outside normal working hours.
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The ballot design follows Monday's Alaska Supreme Court ruling allowing Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher from Petersburg, to remain in the race after state election officials attempted to disqualify him. The case attracted national attention and transformed a little-known challenger into a political curiosity at the center of one of the country's most closely watched Senate contests.
How the Alaska Ballot Could Look
The latest ballot release offers a first look at how voters will encounter the two Sullivans when they cast ballots in Alaska's August 18 top-four primary.
Under the state's election system, the four highest-finishing candidates, regardless of party, advance to November's ranked-choice general election.
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Prediction market Kalshi currently gives Dan S. Sullivan a 93 percent chance of advancing to the general election, while Dan J. Sullivan is viewed as the fourth-most likely candidate to claim one of the four qualifying spots, with a 46 percent chance. Democratic former Representative Mary Peltola is considered the strongest bet to advance, while Republican Dustin Darden is currently favored for the remaining slot.
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How Did the Dan Sullivan Ballot Dispute Begin?
The saga began when Dan J. Sullivan filed to run shortly before the June 1 deadline, setting up the unusual possibility of two Republican Dan Sullivans appearing on the same ballot. Under Alaska’s election system, all candidates run in a single nonpartisan primary, with the top four vote-getters advancing to a ranked-choice general election in November.
The filing quickly drew criticism from the incumbent and national Republican groups, who argued the challenger’s candidacy could confuse voters and potentially help Peltola, the Democrat widely seen as Sullivan’s main opponent. The incumbent has accused the challenger of being a "sham candidate," while the National Republican Senatorial Committee has alleged that Democratic-linked operatives helped launch the campaign. Peltola’s campaign has denied involvement, and Dan J. Sullivan has said his candidacy is genuine.
Why Was Dan J. Sullivan Removed From the Ballot?
On June 15, Alaska Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher removed Dan J. Sullivan from the ballot, concluding that his candidacy was not filed in "good faith" and was instead intended to "confuse or mislead" voters. Among the issues cited were his initial use of "Dan Sullivan," his Republican affiliation, similarities between his campaign materials and the incumbent’s branding, and his links to a political consultant with Democratic clients.
Dan J. Sullivan sued, arguing that Alaska officials had no authority to judge his motives if he met the constitutional qualifications to run for the Senate. His attorneys said the Constitution sets out three requirements for senators: being at least 30 years old, a U.S. citizen for at least nine years, and an inhabitant of the state when elected.
What Did the Courts Decide?
Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthews ruled in Sullivan's favor, finding that the elections division had effectively created a new, "previously unstated" good-faith test not found in the Constitution, Alaska law or the division’s regulations. Matthews wrote that the state could use ballot design tools to reduce confusion, but could not remove a legally qualified candidate from the ballot because of alleged intent.
The state appealed, but the Alaska Supreme Court upheld Matthews’ decision after expedited arguments on Monday, just ahead of the deadline to certify and print ballots. During arguments, justices reportedly pressed the state on why it had chosen removal rather than less drastic options such as listing middle initials or otherwise differentiating the candidates. Chief Justice Susan Carney described removal as "the most extreme remedy possible," according to Alaska Public Media.
The sample ballots released this week appear to reflect the less drastic approach.
Dan J. Sullivan has said he is willing to appear on the ballot with his middle initial and has denied that he entered the race to mislead voters. "It’s all because of my name, and, you know, there’s nothing I can do about my name," he told the Alaska Beacon after the ruling.
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Why National Republicans Are Worried
The dispute has drawn national attention because Alaska could be one of the more competitive Senate races of the midterms. Sullivan is seeking a third term in a state that President Donald Trump won by 13 points in 2024, but Peltola has previously won statewide under Alaska’s ranked-choice system and Democrats are targeting the seat as part of their effort to regain control of the Senate.
A New York Times/Siena College poll released Wednesday found Dan S. Sullivan leading Peltola by just 2 percentage points, 47 percent to 45 percent, while other recent surveys have shown Peltola with narrow leads. Despite Alaska's Republican lean and Sullivan's history of winning statewide, polling averages place the two candidates roughly even.
The race is rated as a tossup by prominent election forecasters such as the Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball.
Alaska Voters Have Navigated Unusual Ballots Before
The argument that voters will be unable to distinguish between Dan S. Sullivan and Dan J. Sullivan may run up against Alaska's recent electoral history.
In 2010, incumbent Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski mounted one of the most successful write-in campaigns in modern American politics after losing the Republican primary to Tea Party-backed challenger Joe Miller. Voters were required to write Murkowski's name on their ballots, yet she ultimately won the general election and returned to the Senate.
The race became a national test of whether voters could successfully navigate an unusually complicated ballot. Election officials ultimately counted ballots that included minor misspellings and variations of Murkowski's name, provided voter intent was clear.
Could Both Dan Sullivans Advance to November's Election?
The immediate question now is how much voter confusion, if any, results from two Dan Sullivans sharing the ballot—and whether both can survive the top-four primary. The prediction market odds suggest traders see that outcome as plausible, if far from certain. For now, Alaska voters may be asked to choose not only between Sullivan and Peltola, but between Sullivan and Sullivan.
Republicans, meanwhile, might be hoping that former Anchorage Mayor Dan A. Sullivan doesn't launch a write-in campaign.
For more analysis from Daniel Orton on the numbers shaping U.S. politics and the 2026 midterms, sign up for Newsweek’s Midterms Monitor newsletter.**
Update, 07/02/2026, 08:41 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information. The headline was also updated.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Daniel Orton and James Debens
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