Dan Sullivan’s name twin enters Alaska Senate fight

Less than a week before Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan drew a well-known Democrat in the race to unseat him, a last-minute “Dan Sullivan” campaign appeared online with matching branding—sparking Republican accusations of a ballot “sham,” a letter to state election o

For Alaska voters, it arrived like a glitch that wouldn’t go away.

On May 28, around noon—one day before Sen. Dan Sullivan drew a little-known candidate who shares his first and last name—the domain name SullivanForSenate.com was registered. It echoed the senator’s long-running web address, DanSullivanForAlaska.com.

A few hours later, a Facebook account created that day posted a campaign logo similar to Sullivan’s, with the last name “Sullivan” in yellow letters and a prominent five-pointed star set against a royal blue background.

That wasn’t the only digital footprint. In May, accounts were also created on Instagram and Truth Social—both using the handle “Sullivan for Senate.” As of Wednesday, June 3, neither account had posted any content.

Republicans are pointing to the timing as proof that the appearance of a “Dan Sullivan” candidate wasn’t organic—an entry that could help decide which party controls Congress.

In a statement to Straight Arrow. the National Republican Senate Campaign accused former Congresswoman Mary Peltola. the leading Democrat in the race. and Democratic Minority Leader Charles Schumer. D-N.Y. of “resorting to deceitful political maneuvers that attempt to trick Alaskans and buy a seat.”.

The NRSC’s general counsel, Blake Murphy, went further. In a letter to Alaska election officials—published by Fox News—Murphy called the challenger’s candidacy a “sham” meant “to mislead unwitting Alaska voters who intend to cast a ballot for incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan.”

Murphy wrote to Lt. Governor Nancy Dahlstrom and Director of Elections Carol Beecher that they “must uphold your statutory obligation” to prevent the integrity of the election “by keeping Sham Candidate Sullivan off the ballot.” He also said the NRSC may take legal action to block the candidacy. The NRSC sent letters to Sullivan and Peltola as well, telling them “to preserve relevant evidence.”.

Alaska election records show the challenger Sullivan filed to run as a Republican.

Messages sent Tuesday evening to Sullivan and Peltola’s campaigns were not immediately returned.

Alaska’s primary is scheduled for August 18. More than a dozen Senate candidates filed to run. with the top four vote-getters advancing to the general election in November. Like Maine. Washington. D.C. and a handful of other localities. Alaska uses a “jungle primary. ” where voters rank candidates in order of preference.

What has unsettled Republicans most is not just the name similarity—it’s the question of who is behind it.

The Anchorage Daily News reported that the “metadata” on the challenger Sullivan’s May 29 press release announcing his candidacy “indicated it was written by someone by the name of ‘Amber Lee.’” Murphy. in his letter. pointed to federal campaign finance records saying that a person named Amber Lee was paid in 2022 and 2024 by a political action committee created solely to support Peltola’s prior campaigns for Alaska’s sole seat in the House of Representatives.

Lee received a letter from Murphy telling her to preserve possible evidence, but she did not return messages seeking comment.

Michael Caputo. a longtime Republican operative who worked as a health spokesman in Trump’s first term. said he grudgingly admired what Democrats appear to be doing in Alaska. “I’ve tried to make it happen half a dozen times and never did. ” Caputo told Straight Arrow in an interview Tuesday. “I don’t want to celebrate it because it hurts the Republican Party, but this is fantasy-level political consulting.”.

Caputo’s comment landed amid a broader unease about name-similar campaigns across U.S. elections.

Criminal charges were filed in 2021 in Florida against a former Republican lawmaker for helping insert a challenger who shared a last name with an incumbent. according to The Associated Press. In 2024. a Democrat running for local office. Joe Saunders. sued his aunt after she filed to run for the same seat under the name Moe Saunders. according to LGBTQ Nation. In Washington’s 2024 governor’s race. at one point there were three candidates named Bob Ferguson until two withdrew. according to the Tri-City Herald. Ireland had two different races in 2024 featuring two sets of candidates with the exact same names. according to the Times of India. and the paper reported that “[a]s many as 17” local candidates faced “one or more namesakes.”.

In Alaska, the challenger’s own pitch adds to the confusion.

The challenger titled his press release announcing his candidacy “Dan Sullivan Challenges Dan Sullivan for U.S. Senate Seat.” The campaign website for the challenger Sullivan offers no information about policies and no link for donations.

In his statement, the challenger described his decision to run in vague terms: “When you truly care about a people and a place, you have a duty to make every sacrifice within your power to protect them,” the challenger said. “That’s why I’m running.”

He added, “I know firsthand the challenges everyday Alaskans face,” and said, “It’s time for Alaska to elect a Sullivan that’s on their side.”

The statement did not mention a middle initial, J, for the challenger. That omission matters because the senator’s middle initial is S—something election officials would use to distinguish candidates if they appear on the ballot, Alaska television station KTUU reported.

A second identifier also appears to have been unused. The challenger’s announcement said his father is also named Dan, giving him the suffix Jr., but that suffix was not used in the statement and branding described in the reporting.

With the Alaska jungle primary approaching on August 18. Republicans are asking state election officials to stop the “sham” before voters ever face the ballot question. Democrats. for their part. have not publicly addressed the specific accusations in the details provided here—and the challenger. for now. is loudest about the name and quietest on the substance.

As June 3 approaches and the online accounts remain bare, the central tension is already clear: in a race where even a small shift could change the outcome, the question is whether voters will be able to tell the difference in time.

Alaska Senate race Dan Sullivan Mary Peltola NRSC Blake Murphy Nancy Dahlstrom Carol Beecher jungle primary Sullivan for Senate Amber Lee