{
  "id": 3428274,
  "title": "Two Dan Sullivans to appear on Alaska’s US Senate ballot in November’s midterm elections",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/two-dan-sullivans-to-appear-on-alaskas-us-senate-ballot-in-novembers",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-26T04:48:55.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Guardian US",
    "slug": "the-guardian-us",
    "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/26/alaska-dan-sullivan-senate"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Dan S Sullivan and Dan J Sullivan, two Alaskans with nearly identical names and affiliations, will be listed on the state's U.S. Senate ballot in November's midterm elections. This peculiar situation has added an extra layer of complexity to what is already expected to be a fiercely contested race.\n\nThe incumbent senator, Dan S Sullivan, has vehemently criticized his lookalike rival, Dan J Sullivan. The latter, a retired school teacher and former US Forest Service employee, is reportedly running as a Republican at the behest of Democrats. His primary aim, according to the incumbent, is to confuse supporters of Dan S Sullivan and potentially split their votes.\n\nDan J Sullivan entered the race earlier this year, causing Alaska's election officials to disqualify him. However, the state supreme court later reversed this decision. In the June primary, Dan J Sullivan garnered 2.5% of the vote, significantly less than the overwhelming support of his Democratic opponent, Mary Peltola, and Dan S Sullivan himself. Both Dan S Sullivan and Dan J Sullivan are currently neck-and-neck with Peltola in the polls.\n\nAlaska uses ranked-choice voting for general elections, which could potentially complicate the voting process for residents. If voters confuse the two Dan Sullivans, their votes might end up going to the incumbent Dan S Sullivan. Regardless, Dan J Sullivan's candidacy poses a potential threat to Dan S Sullivan's re-election prospects.",
  "summary": "The incumbent senator Dan S Sullivan has condemned ex-school teacher Dan J Sullivan, claiming he is running at the behest of Democrats to confuse supporters Republican senator Dan S Sullivan will be joined on the November ballot in Alaska by a challenger with a nearly identical name from the same party, election officials confirmed on Tuesday, adding a twist to what is expected to be one of the…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "POLITICO",
        "title": "The other Dan Sullivan makes November ballot against Sen. Dan Sullivan",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/the-other-dan-sullivan-makes-november-ballot-against-sen-dan-sullivan",
        "published": "2026-08-26T04:11:26.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}