Same Name, Same Race: The Candidate Shaking Up Alaska's Election

Two candidates named Dan Sullivan are running for a U.S. Senate seat from Alaska, and one had to fight in court to appear on the ballot. Republicans claim the candidate with the identical name aims to confuse voters and split votes. President Trump backed the incumbent senator and called the other's candidacy an attempt to "cheat." The U.S. Justice Department issued subpoenas as part of an investigation into the matter, even before the results of yesterday's primary were announced.

Alaska's Senate primary, held yesterday (Tuesday), has become one of the most intriguing races in the U.S. due to two Republican candidates with the same name: incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan, serving two terms, and another Republican candidate named Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher from the town of Petersburg. Republicans and President Trump claim the second candidate entered the race at the request of Democrats to confuse voters and siphon votes from the senator. Dan J. Sullivan denied the allegations, saying his frustration with the incumbent led him to run, and he even won a legal battle that allowed him to appear on the ballot. To reduce confusion, he appeared on the ballot as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. with no party affiliation, while the incumbent appeared as Dan S. Sullivan, Republican and "incumbent." Trump issued a statement of support for the incumbent senator and called the other's candidacy an attempt to "cheat." Now, according to Reuters, the U.S. Justice Department has issued subpoenas as part of an investigation examining whether Dan J. Sullivan entered the race to confuse. Also prominent in the race is former Democratic Congresswoman Mary Peltola, who has re-adopted the slogan "Fish, Family, Freedom." Alaska's system: all candidates run together, and the top four advance to the November general election, which uses ranked-choice voting. The race could affect the battle for control of the Senate.