Two Dan Sullivans on Alaska's Senate Ballot Draw Dispute Over Peltola Campaign Role

Alaska voters are choosing a U.S. senator on Tuesday in a race complicated by two candidates named Dan Sullivan on the ballot: incumbent Republican Sen. Daniel S. Sullivan and Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher. The New York Times reported last week that the campaign of Democratic challenger Mary Peltola was behind the effort to put the second Sullivan on the ballot. Peltola denies the accusation. A federal judge on Sunday dismissed a Trump administration lawsuit that sought to block certification of the race results in advance. Alaska uses an open primary in which the top four vote-getters advance to the general election; in the August primary, Peltola and the incumbent Sullivan were the clear frontrunners. Alaska's ranked choice voting, adopted in 2020, is expected to blunt the effect of the second candidate, though the incumbent could still lose some votes if voters mark the wrong Sullivan. Voters can also vote Tuesday on whether to undo those election reforms. The outcome could help decide which party controls the Senate.

CBS News, on the left, frames the story through voters, with a reporter, Taurean Small, relaying one Alaska voter's view that the ballot is very clear about which Sullivan is which. Its coverage, at least in the excerpt, centers on reassurance and does not dwell on the accusation against Peltola. The Blaze, on the right, takes a sharply opposing tone: its headline calls the episode a very dirty trick, and its opinion-style piece urges Americans not to view Peltola as a legitimate senator even if she wins, tying the episode to the left's past warnings about attacks on democracy and naming groups such as the Democracy Defenders Fund. Both acknowledge the two-Sullivan ballot, but one emphasizes voter clarity while the other emphasizes alleged misconduct. Reason, an alternative outlet, adds a distinct angle: it says the Times reporting looks sound but argues ranked choice voting will likely limit the scheme's impact, and notes the reform itself is on the ballot.