GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola will face off in November for Alaska’s Senate seat, with NBC News projecting that both candidates will advance to the general election. But it’s not yet clear whether another Dan Sullivan will also be on the November ballot.
Democrats view this race as a key part of their strategy to take the Senate majority as the party tries to net four seats to take control of the chamber. And the presence of a candidate with the same name as the incumbent could add a new degree of uncertainty in November.
Alaska has a unique top-four primary, with candidates from all parties competing on the same primary ballot and the top four finishers advancing to the November general election, which is decided by ranked-choice voting. While NBC News projects that Sullivan and Peltola will both advance, the final two spots are yet to be determined.
A former teacher named Dan J. Sullivan is also on the primary ballot and is running as a Republican. The senator and his GOP allies have cried foul, arguing Dan J. Sullivan, a former teacher, is a Democratic plant, which he has denied. Peltola’s campaign has also denied any involvement with the second Sullivan’s campaign.
His presence sparked a legal battle over his spot on the primary ballot, and state and federal prosecutors are investigating whether his candidacy is part of a conspiracy to confuse voters. The federal investigation is moving forward, with a law enforcement official telling NBC News that a grand jury issued subpoenas last week to compel information from witnesses related to the Dan J. Sullivan campaign.
Democrats have been eyeing Alaska as a potential pickup in November since well before the same-name saga consumed the race, even though Donald Trump carried the state by double digits in each of the last three presidential elections.
That’s because they believe Peltola is a strong recruit, given her experience winning statewide as the former at-large congresswoman.
Peltola, a former state legislator and city councilwoman, became the first Alaska Native to represent the state in Congress when she won a special election in 2022. She won a full term later that year but then lost re-election in 2024 by 3 percentage points, even as she ran nearly 16,000 votes ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris.
Peltola, who runs on the mantra “fish, family, freedom,” has centered her campaign on local issues while decrying a “rigged” political system. She has also outraised the incumbent, pulling in $18 million to Sullivan’s $12 million so far. Peltola has been spending that money, leaving Sullivan with $7.3 million to spend, compared with Peltola’s $4.6 million in the bank as of July 29.
Sullivan, meanwhile, has painted Peltola as too far left for the state, arguing in a recent ad that Peltola is beholden to “Lower 48 liberals.”
Trump has endorsed Sullivan, who has broadly supported his agenda. Sullivan, a former Marine who was first elected in 2014, has touted his work for veterans and the state’s fishing industry.
Peltola’s campaign recently underwent a staff shake-up, with deputy campaign manager Cheryl Bruce taking over as campaign manager. The former manager, Anton McParland, Peltola’s former congressional chief of staff, transitioned into a “new role,” according to the campaign, which did not respond to additional questions about the staffing changes.
