Second Dan Sullivan Makes Alaska Senate Ballot

A retired schoolteacher named Dan J. Sullivan has made Alaska's November Senate ballot — running against Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, NBC News projects.

Both Sullivans advance out of Alaska's all-party primary alongside Democrat Mary Peltola, the former congresswoman, setting up a ranked-choice general election in a race that could help decide control of the Senate.

Republicans have called the second Sullivan's candidacy a ploy to confuse voters. He denies it. State and federal prosecutors are investigating whether the campaign is part of a conspiracy to do exactly that.

How Alaska's System Works

Alaska sends the top four vote-getters from a nonpartisan primary, regardless of party, to a ranked-choice general election.

That means voters can rank both Sullivans — which NBC News notes may blunt the impact of any name confusion. But some voters rank only one candidate, and that could matter in a close race.

If no candidate wins a majority in the first round, the last-place finisher is eliminated and those ballots are redistributed to the voters' next choice.

The Numbers

In the primary, Peltola led with 48.1 percent to Sen. Sullivan's 42.7 percent, according to state election results cited by The American Conservative, a margin that held as most votes were counted.

Dan J. Sullivan took 2.4 percent — more than 3,000 votes.

Progressive Democrat David Leslie was clinging to fourth place by 17 votes, The American Conservative reported.