{"id":293,"date":"2026-06-04T19:36:45","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T19:36:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\/?p=293"},"modified":"2026-06-04T19:36:45","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T19:36:45","slug":"its-no-joke-a-second-dan-sullivan-says-he-really-does-want-to-be-alaskas-next-senator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\/?p=293","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s no joke: A second Dan Sullivan says he really does want to be Alaska\u2019s next senator"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

A political unknown from Petersburg filed for Alaska\u2019s U.S. Senate race last week. His name is Dan Sullivan, the same name as Alaska\u2019s sitting junior senator. And they\u2019ll both be on the same ballot for Alaska\u2019s primary in August.<\/p>\n

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The new candidate sparked interest and accusations almost as soon as he announced his campaign.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s blue-and-gold campaign theme. He\u2019s also been accused of colluding with the Democratic Party.<\/p>\n

In an interview Tuesday, the Dan Sullivan from Petersburg insisted that isn\u2019t true. And he said he\u2019s serious about his run for Senate.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Sullivan said the primary reason he\u2019s running is dissatisfaction with the economy and the incumbent.<\/p>\n

\u201cSen. Sullivan\u2019s been in office for 12 years, and the first thing that hits me is that I don\u2019t see my community thriving,\u201d Sullivan said. \u201cI don\u2019t see Alaska thriving right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said he\u2019s become increasingly frustrated by what he sees as the incumbent Sullivan\u2019s unwillingness to talk to constituents. He said his final straw was Sullivan\u2019s silence on President Trump\u2019s proposed compensation fund, which could have paid Jan. 6 rioters and other Trump allies.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thing that\u2019s 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the other Dan Sullivan has not been happy about his namesake challenger. He\u2019s threatened legal action against Petersburg\u2019s Dan Sullivan for allegedly trying to trick voters.<\/p>\n

In an email, the senator\u2019s campaign spokesman Nate Adams called his challenger \u201ca sham candidate\u201d and his campaign \u201cdishonest.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rumors have also circulated that Sullivan\u2019s candidacy is connected to Democratic senate challenger Mary Peltola. Peltola visited Petersburg days before Sullivan announced his candidacy. He said there\u2019s no connection.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just a simple no,\u201d Sullivan said. \u201cI have not been in contact with her or her campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The executive director of the Alaska Democratic Party also denied advance knowledge of Petersburg Dan Sullivan\u2019s run for Senate.<\/p>\n

In the days since he\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe taught me how to be a great father,\u201d he said. \u201cHe was a true, compassionate conservative.\u201d<\/p>\n

His father died last fall, and Sullivan says running as a Republican was a way to honor his legacy.<\/p>\n

Sullivan was appointed to a local advisory board a few years ago to fill a vacant seat, but he hasn\u2019t been elected to political office before. So, why go straight for the senate seat?<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I think it\u2019s where I can have the most impact,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He said he\u2019s aware that it\u2019s difficult to become one of Alaska\u2019s senators but said he\u2019s serious about his campaign.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s be realistic, it\u2019s a huge long shot,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I\u2019m going to give it my best shot.\u201d<\/p>\n

When it comes to confusion on the ballot, Sullivan said voters need to be informed, and he said he\u2019s done nothing wrong by running for office.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have that right. I think it\u2019s an important right.\u201d he said. \u201cI think I\u2019m 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

When voters head to the primaries in August, each Dan Sullivan will have their middle initial listed. Incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan\u2019s middle name is Scott, while challenger Dan Sullivan\u2019s middle name is James.<\/p>\n

This also isn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

Read more Hey, Alaska: What do you want to ask the 2026 primary election candidates?<\/a><\/p>\n

Unlike this race, the two Dan Sullivans were not campaigning for the same job.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":292,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-293","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nIt\u2019s no joke: A second Dan Sullivan says he really does want to be Alaska\u2019s next senator - Alaska Moving Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\/?p=293\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"It\u2019s no joke: A second Dan Sullivan says he really does want to be Alaska\u2019s next senator - 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