A political unknown from Petersburg filed for Alaska’s U.S. Senate race last week. His name is Dan Sullivan, the same name as Alaska’s sitting junior senator. And they’ll both be on the same ballot for Alaska’s primary in August.
The new candidate sparked interest and accusations almost as soon as he announced his campaign.
Both Sullivans are running as Republicans, but the Alaska Republican Party and its allies allege the challenger is exploiting his name to intentionally confuse voters. They said he copied Sen. Sullivan’s blue-and-gold campaign theme. He’s also been accused of colluding with the Democratic Party.
In an interview Tuesday, the Dan Sullivan from Petersburg insisted that isn’t true. And he said he’s serious about his run for Senate.
The 68-year-old grew up in the Midwest and moved to Southeast Alaska in 1980. He worked for the U.S. Forest Service before making a career pivot to education, spending more than 20 years as an elementary school teacher. He is now retired.
Sullivan said the primary reason he’s running is dissatisfaction with the economy and the incumbent.
“Sen. Sullivan’s been in office for 12 years, and the first thing that hits me is that I don’t see my community thriving,” Sullivan said. “I don’t see Alaska thriving right now.”
He said he’s become increasingly frustrated by what he sees as the incumbent Sullivan’s unwillingness to talk to constituents. He said his final straw was Sullivan’s silence on President Trump’s proposed compensation fund, which could have paid Jan. 6 rioters and other Trump allies.
“The thing that’s sort of pushed me to the edge to finally take this jump is this latest thing with the 1776 slush fund for people who have violated the law,” he said.
Meanwhile, the other Dan Sullivan has not been happy about his namesake challenger. He’s threatened legal action against Petersburg’s Dan Sullivan for allegedly trying to trick voters.
In an email, the senator’s campaign spokesman Nate Adams called his challenger “a sham candidate” and his campaign “dishonest.”
Rumors have also circulated that Sullivan’s candidacy is connected to Democratic senate challenger Mary Peltola. Peltola visited Petersburg days before Sullivan announced his candidacy. He said there’s no connection.
“It’s just a simple no,” Sullivan said. “I have not been in contact with her or her campaign.”
The executive director of the Alaska Democratic Party also denied advance knowledge of Petersburg Dan Sullivan’s run for Senate.
In the days since he’s filed, Sullivan has also been criticized for choosing to run as a Republican when he previously had no voter affiliation. He said he spent decades registered as a member of the Alaska Independence Party. The party was dissolved in December, making him an undeclared voter.
Sullivan said he chose to become a Republican because both his father and grandfather were lifelong Republicans. Both were influential figures in his life, especially his father.
“He taught me how to be a great father,” he said. “He was a true, compassionate conservative.”
His father died last fall, and Sullivan says running as a Republican was a way to honor his legacy.
Sullivan was appointed to a local advisory board a few years ago to fill a vacant seat, but he hasn’t been elected to political office before. So, why go straight for the senate seat?
“Because I think it’s where I can have the most impact,” he said.
He said he’s aware that it’s difficult to become one of Alaska’s senators but said he’s serious about his campaign.
“Let’s be realistic, it’s a huge long shot,” he said. “But I’m going to give it my best shot.”
When it comes to confusion on the ballot, Sullivan said voters need to be informed, and he said he’s done nothing wrong by running for office.
“I have that right. I think it’s an important right.” he said. “I think I’m doing a patriotic thing to step up and throw my hat in the ring. So, that our names are the same are kind of irrelevant.”
When voters head to the primaries in August, each Dan Sullivan will have their middle initial listed. Incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan’s middle name is Scott, while challenger Dan Sullivan’s middle name is James.
This also isn’t the first time more than one Dan Sullivan has been on an Alaska ballot. In 2014, Anchorage Mayor Dan A. Sullivan ran for lieutenant governor, the same year Dan S. Sullivan won his senate seat for the first time.
Unlike this race, the two Dan Sullivans were not campaigning for the same job.
Alaska Public Media’s Eric Stone contributed reporting.
