An Alaska judge has ruled that both an incumbent senator and a challenger with the same name can appear on the primary ballot in the midterm election. The decision allows Republican Senator Dan Sullivan and his namesake opponent, a former U.S. Forest Service employee and retired teacher also named Dan Sullivan, to qualify for the August 18 primary.
Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthews declared in his ruling, 'Mr. Dan Sullivan is declared a valid candidate,' referring to the challenger. The decision reversed an earlier action by the director of the Alaska Division of Elections.
Republican officials argued that the presence of two Dan Sullivans on the ballot could confuse voters. Some, including Senator Sullivan, also alleged that the challenger Sullivan was recruited by Democrats to boost Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola. However, a spokesperson for Peltola, a former U.S. House member, told the Associated Press that she had no involvement in either Sullivan's campaign.
Republicans are expected to appeal the ballot ruling to the state Supreme Court. Alaska uses a nonpartisan primary system with a single ballot, unlike other states where Democrats and Republicans hold separate contests. All candidates, regardless of party, appear on a single primary ballot, and the top four vote-getters advance to the general election.
Supporters argue that Alaska's primary system forces candidates to appeal to a broader cross-section of the state's voters, not just their party members. In the November midterm election, Democrats hope to win control of the U.S. House and Senate from Republicans, which could significantly shift the political balance and reduce President Donald Trump's legislative power in his final two years in office.
