CORRECTION: Dan Sullivan of Petersburg could still advance to the general election, as the top four candidates will earn spots on the ballot. An earlier version of this story was incorrect.
WASHINGTON — Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola secured enough votes in Tuesday’s Senate primary to advance to the general election in November.
Unfortunately for the two-term incumbent senator, another guy named Dan Sullivan ― a constituent from Petersburg who isn’t very happy with his senator — appears on track to advance to the November ballot, too.
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, Sen. Sullivan made the cut, as did his main rival, Peltola. The Sullivan of Petersburg was holding strong in third place.
Having two Dan Sullivans on the ballot has been a real headache for the senator, who is already in a tight race against Peltola and can’t afford to lose votes to a different 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.
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 becoming 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, a strong supporter of President Donald Trump, was listed as the incumbent and as 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.