46,204 ballots cast as second Dan Sullivan remains on Alaska Senate ballot

As of Monday, 46,204 ballots had been cast in Alaska for the U.S. Senate race that concludes next Tuesday. The tally includes votes for two candidates with the same name, a situation that has triggered a federal lawsuit and a state Supreme Court ruling.

A report from The New York Times, published Wednesday, detailed text messages between members of Democrat Mary Peltola’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. The messages discussed recruiting a second candidate named Dan Sullivan to challenge the two-term Republican incumbent. The effort ultimately secured a spot on the ballot for Dan J. Sullivan, a retired schoolteacher from Petersburg, Alaska. He passed through the state’s August open primary and now appears on the ranked choice ballot as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., listed with no party affiliation.

The presence of the second Sullivan prompted a state elections official to rule him ineligible after he declared his candidacy. The official argued the filing aimed to confuse voters and compromise ballot neutrality. The Alaska Supreme Court reversed that decision, ruling that Sullivan was qualified to run because the U.S. Constitution mandates only age, citizenship, and residency requirements for Senate candidates.

President Donald Trump directed the Department of Justice to file a lawsuit last week to preemptively contest a potential Peltola victory. The suit seeks to halt the certification of her win, citing the confusing ballot structure. On Wednesday, Trump wrote on his social media site that Peltola should suffer legal and political consequences for her actions. A spokesperson for Sen. Dan Sullivan’s campaign, Nate Adams, said that Peltola and her senior advisers colluded with national Democratic lawyers to recruit candidates to deceive voters.

Peltola’s campaign issued a statement Wednesday asserting it had no involvement with either Sullivan campaign, mirroring a statement released in June. The DSCC also denied involvement, stating it was not involved with Dan J. Sullivan, despite the reported texts. Dan J. Sullivan has previously denied running at the Democrats' behest, telling AP in June that he had zero contact with Peltola’s team. Legal experts noted the reported recruitment tactics would not impact the DOJ lawsuit, with one professor describing the strategy as a dirty trick that is now in voters' hands.

The Times report relied partly on interviews with Elisa Rios, Peltola’s former campaign manager who was fired in August. The newspaper said Rios attempted to retract her comments last week. This is not the first time an Alaska ballot has been challenged; in 2024, a divided state Supreme Court allowed a man serving time in a New York prison to remain on the House ballot, and he is again on the November 3 ballot.

Sen. Dan Sullivan is listed on the ballot as the Republican incumbent. The general election takes place next Tuesday. The Associated Press did not immediately receive a response from Dan J. Sullivan seeking comment on the new report.