Retired teacher Dan J. Sullivan advanced to the general election for U.S. Senate in Alaska, the Associated Press and NBC News projected, creating potential voter confusion with incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan, who also advanced.
Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher and former U.S. Forest Service employee, will face Rep. Mary Peltola and Sen. Dan Sullivan in a key race for control of the U.S. Senate. The candidates will compete in November's ranked-choice general election.
On the Aug. 18 primary ballot, Alaska voters could have voted for "Sullivan, Dan S. (Registered Republican) (Certified) Incumbent" or "Sullivan, Daniel J. Jr. (Registered Republican) (Certified)." The incumbent senator's team attempted to get Daniel J. Sullivan removed from the ballot, but
a federal judge and the Alaska Supreme Court kept his name intact.
Dan J. Sullivan, a longtime Petersburg, Alaska, resident and Republican, has worked in logging, construction, steel mills, teaching, bartending, and forestry, according to his campaign website. Pre-primary polling suggested he was unlikely to advance and would face long odds against incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan and Peltola, a Democrat, in the general election.
In Alaska's nonpartisan primary, four candidates, regardless of party affiliation, head to the general election, where ranked-choice voting is used.
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social about Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, saying he is doing a "fantastic job" and that he "has ALWAYS delivered for Alaska."
The president continued to tout his own "BIG margins" in the state during the last three presidential races, adding that "No one has done more for Alaska than 'TRUMP,'" and that "Dan Sullivan has been with us all the way."
Contributing: Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Retired teacher Dan J. Sullivan advances in Alaska Senate race
