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GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan Fends Off Other Dan Sullivan In Alaska Primary

WASHINGTON — Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and former Rep. Mary Peltola secured enough votes in Tuesday's primary to advance to the general election in November.

It was unclear if the other Dan Sullivan — a guy from Petersburg who was not happy with his senator — will appear on the ballot with him.

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Both Sullivans were on Tuesday's primary ballot, along with 14 other candidates vying for the seat held by Sen. Sullivan. Alaska uses ranked-choice voting for its elections, meaning all Senate candidates appear together on one ballot, regardless of their party, and voters cast their vote for one candidate. The top four candidates advance to the general election.

As of Wednesday morning, Sen. Sullivan made the cut, as did his main rival, Peltola.

The ballot confusion had been a real headache for Sen. Sullivan, who is in a tight race against Peltola and couldn't afford to lose votes to another guy with his name on the November ballot. The nonpartisan Cook's Political Report in June shifted this race in Peltola's direction to a "toss-up," in part because of the ballot confusion.

Dan Sullivan, the incumbent Republican senator from Alaska, secured enough votes in Tuesday's primary to advance to the general election in November. Dan Sullivan, a guy from Petersburg who was not very happy with his senator, did not.

The Alaska Division of Elections tried to boot Petersburg Sullivan off the ballot in June, after Sen. Sullivan accused him of foul play. But Petersburg Sullivan, who was registered as an independent until he became a Republican last year, sued and won, and the Alaska Supreme Court ruled he could appear on the ballot. The court left it up to the state's elections division to sort out how to list both of them.

Sen. Sullivan, who has served two terms in the chamber and strongly supported President Donald Trump's agenda, was listed as the incumbent senator and a registered Republican on Tuesday's ballot. Petersburg Sullivan, who centered his campaign on affordable housing and improved access to healthcare, was simply listed by his full name, "Daniel J. Sullivan Jr."

Peltola has had an edge over Sen. Sullivan in polling for months, with the most recent poll from early August showing the former Democratic congresswoman leading by 6 percentage points.