Two Dan Sullivans complicate Alaska Senate race

Anchorage, Alaska. The U.S. Senate race in Alaska now features two candidates named Dan Sullivan. The presence of the second candidate, who arrived on the ballot following a well-funded recruitment effort, has drawn national attention to the state's election system. Voters will decide on November 2, 2026, whether to keep or repeal that system.

The debate centers on whether Alaska's nonpartisan primary and ranked choice voting format make it easier for outside groups to stack ballots with spoiler candidates. Four individuals involved in the repeal measure offered differing views on the vulnerability of the current process.

Craig Richards, former Alaska Attorney General and legal adviser for the repeal campaign, argued that the system adopted in 2020 lacks the checks found in traditional voting. He noted that in past systems, political parties controlled their general election spots. They typically drafted quality candidates and discouraged less serious contenders. Under the current rules, candidates can select a party label without official party support. Richards said parties can no longer prevent a candidate from using their name on the ballot.

John-Henry Heckendorn, a consultant for the campaign against repeal, countered that spoiler candidates are a national trend. He cited a recent report from Axios stating that super PACs have spent millions to promote more than 40 potential spoilers in congressional races across the country. These candidates often run as Greens, Libertarians, or independents. Heckendorn, founder of the Ship Creek Group, said Alaska is not uniquely prone to this issue. He argued that ranked choice voting provides a specific remedy that other states lack.

Heckendorn explained that if a voter chooses a minor candidate who finishes last, their ballot transfers to their second choice. He stated that this provision blunts the impact of spoiler candidates. He noted that national media often overlooks this feature of the Alaskan system.

Greg Powers, campaign manager for the repeal effort, focused on the risk of unranked ballots. He said some voters will select a spoiler candidate but fail to rank anyone else. Powers claimed that super PACs on both sides of the aisle know this statistic. They spend money to promote minor candidates hoping to split the vote against the main opponent. He said this strategy aims to create a narrow victory in close elections. Powers asserted that other electoral systems do not allow this specific type of vote-splitting.

Scott Kendall, the attorney who drafted the 2020 ballot measure, argued that strategic recruitment of challengers predates the current system. He recalled that petition candidates and third-party challengers were often recruited to split the vote in previous decades. He cited the 2008 election as an example. In that race, Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens lost to Democrat Mark Begich by fewer than 4,000 votes. A third-party challenger, Bob Bird of the Alaska Independence Party, received about 13,000 votes. Kendall suggested that if Bird's voters had been able to rank their choices, a portion might have ranked Stevens, potentially allowing him to keep his seat.

The two Dan Sullivans remain on the ballot for the upcoming election. The outcome of the race will be determined by the ranked choice voting rules currently in effect. Voters will also cast a separate ballot to determine if the state should return to the previous election method.