Third Dan Sullivan backs incumbent in bizarre Alaska Senate race

WASHINGTON, DC: A third Dan Sullivan has entered Alaska's unusual Senate race, endorsing incumbent Dan S Sullivan over fellow candidate Dan J Sullivan.

Dan A Sullivan, the former Anchorage mayor, called himself the "OG Dan Sullivan" while backing the senator.

The endorsement came in a Facebook post shared via Votehub ahead of the state's primary, adding another twist to the name-matched contest, Mediaite reported on Sunday, August 23.

Dan A Sullivan picks his Sullivan

"As the OG Dan Sullivan, I urge Alaskans to vote for Senator Daniel S Sullivan," Dan A wrote. "He's been great for Alaska."

The endorsement puts Dan A Sullivan behind the incumbent rather than Dan J Sullivan, a retired schoolteacher and former US Forest Service employee from Petersburg running as a Republican.

Dan S Sullivan, also a Republican, has represented Alaska in the Senate since 2015. 

Both men are on the ballot, with Dan J Sullivan listed immediately above the incumbent among the 16 Senate candidates.

The overlap has already triggered a fight over Dan J Sullivan's candidacy. Republicans went to court to remove him, arguing he was a "sham" contender backed by Democrats to confuse voters and undermine the incumbent. They were unsuccessful.

President Donald Trump also warned Alaska voters about the names before the primary, writing on Truth Social: "ALASKA: Be careful, VOTE FOR THE REAL DAN SULLIVAN TODAY."

Trump said Democrats had "put up an imposter of the same name."

Dan J Sullivan survived the primary and qualified for the November general election, meaning the two Dan Sullivans will face voters alongside Democrat Mary Peltola and one other candidate.

Mary Peltola remains Sullivan's main threat

Despite the name confusion, the incumbent's principal challenge is Peltola, who is seeking the Senate seat after serving in the House.

Peltola is Democrats' strongest candidate for the Senate race, and polls have recently shown her and Sullivan neck-and-neck, while major election forecasters view the contest as a toss-up.

Peltola has centered her campaign on her moderate political brand and the slogan "fish, family, freedom."

She also supported the Willow oil and gas project during her time in the House.

Joelle Hall, president of the Alaska AFL-CIO, said Peltola's support for Willow mattered to unionized workers.

"We are also in the middle of a little bit of an oil and gas boom in Alaska," Hall said. "That's because Mary Peltola brought us the Willow project with the Biden administration."

The race has drawn major spending

The Senate contest has attracted substantial spending from both parties. The Republican-aligned Senate Leadership Fund said it would put $17 million toward helping Sullivan, while the Democrats' Senate Majority PAC invested $12 million in backing Peltola.

Federal Election Commission filings through the end of July showed Peltola had raised $18.5 million to Sullivan's $11.7 million.

Republican former state Sen Steve Frank said Sullivan would be a more reliable advocate for Alaska's oil industry, particularly as the presidential administration is set to change in another two years.

"The federal government views us kind of like a colony, and they forget that we're American citizens trying to earn a living up here," Frank said. "And so they tend to want to lock us up, keep us from developing our resources, and so he's pushing back against that."

Alaskans now face two Dan Sullivans in the general election, while a third has chosen between them.