Alaska Senate race sees voter confusion over independent candidate sharing incumbent's name

Incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan is confronting the possibility of voter confusion in Alaska’s Senate race after an independent candidate, Dan J. Sullivan Jr., qualified for the primary ballot. State Sen. James Kaufman, a fellow Republican, said he has heard voters pause to verify they are selecting the correct Sullivan and worries that less-engaged voters could be misled.

Sullivan Jr., who campaigned on his logging background, captured about 2.3% of the primary vote, a share that did not alter the overall outcome but raised concerns about its impact under the state’s ranked-choice voting system in the November general election.

Former Republican Party chairman Randy Ruedrich noted that Alaska has experienced similar name-confusion incidents, citing the 2022 Senate primary where voters mistook little-known Buzz Kelly for Republican Kelly Tshibaka. He said the current situation could create “crossover” voting, especially as other candidates such as perennial Republican Gerald Heikes receive significant financial backing.

Kaufman also warned that some voters might avoid ranking both Sullivans on the ballot, citing resistance to ranked-choice voting among a segment of the electorate that prefers a single-choice system. Both Kaufman and Ruedrich said Republicans are likely to highlight the name-confusion issue in the remaining campaign months.

The Alaska primary, which uses a top-four “jungle” format, will be followed by a ranked-choice vote in November, where voters rank candidates and lower-placed votes are transferred if a preferred candidate is eliminated.