# In search of the real Dan Sullivan

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/in-search-of-the-real-dan-sullivan/
- Published: 2026-11-03T15:30:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-03T23:51:53+00:00
- Original publisher: The Hill (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/6189649-alaska-senate-dan-sullivan-scandal/
- Topics: Elections, Government, Politics

## Key points

- Two Dan Sullivans are on Alaska’s Senate ballot.
- Recruitment allegations remain disputed and under investigation.
- A judge rejected a bid to delay certification over possible voter confusion.

## Summary

Alaska’s Senate race has been unsettled by the presence of two candidates named Dan Sullivan. Republican incumbent Dan S. Sullivan is seeking re-election against Democrat Mary Peltola, while retired teacher Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. also qualified for the general election after taking about 2.5% of the vote in August’s nonpartisan primary. The senator and his allies say the second Sullivan was recruited to confuse voters and draw support away from him. A New York Times investigation reported evidence that people aligned with Peltola were involved in efforts to recruit a namesake candidate. Peltola says she knew nothing about those efforts, and Daniel J. Sullivan has denied running at Democrats’ behest. The ballot identifies the senator as a Republican incumbent and distinguishes the two men by their middle initials.

## Coverage

- [The Hill: In search of the real Dan Sullivan](https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/6189649-alaska-senate-dan-sullivan-scandal/)
- [FactCheck.org: Explaining the Case of the Two Dan Sullivans on Alaska’s Ballot](https://www.factcheck.org/2026/10/explaining-the-case-of-the-two-dan-sullivans-on-alaskas-ballot/)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.