Alaska Senate race candidate name and coordination disputes

The 2026 Alaska Senate race has been marked by the presence of two Republican candidates sharing the name Dan Sullivan: the incumbent Senator Dan S. Sullivan and a retired teacher, Dan J. Sullivan. Although state election officials initially sought to remove the retired teacher from the ballot to avoid voter confusion, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled in June that he could remain.

Following the court ruling, allegations of illegal coordination have intensified. The watchdog group Americans for Public Trust filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission, alleging that Democratic strategist Amber Lee served on the board of the 907 Initiative while simultaneously working for the Dan J. Sullivan campaign. The 907 Initiative reportedly spent approximately $1.5 million on advertisements attacking the incumbent, with $575,000 of that spending occurring during the final 90 days of the primary. Watchdog executive director Caitlin Sutherland stated that such dual involvement violates federal election law.

In October, the nonprofit American Accountability Foundation expanded the legal scrutiny by submitting a 114-page referral to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Alaska. The referral alleges that a network of groups linked to the candidate—sometimes referred to as a ‘decoy candidate’—may have illegally coordinated contributions, shared infrastructure for advertisement campaigns, or contributed in the name of others. Republicans allege that Dan J. Sullivan is running to siphon votes from the incumbent to benefit Democratic opponent Mary Peltola. The referral urges federal prosecutors to investigate various nonprofits and political action committees for evidence of illegal communication and coordination.