President Donald Trump is making sure Alaska voters know one thing before they head to the polls: there is only one Dan Sullivan he wants them to vote for.
Trump issued a blunt warning Tuesday morning, urging Alaskans to vote for the “real Dan Sullivan” in the state’s U.S. Senate primary and warning that another candidate with the same name could create confusion on the ballot.
“ALASKA: Be careful, VOTE FOR THE REAL DAN SULLIVAN TODAY,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, reaffirming his endorsement of Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, who is seeking a third term.
Trump did not mince words when explaining why he believes voters need to pay attention.
“The Dumocrats know how good he is and have put up an imposter of the same name,” Trump wrote. “Vote for the ‘INCUMBENT SENATOR.’ Don’t let these Fraudsters get away with this HOAX.”
The president also praised Sullivan’s record in Washington, crediting the incumbent senator with helping bring “HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS” to Alaska.
This was not Trump’s first warning.
On Friday, the president issued a similar message, accusing Democrats of “trickery” and directing Alaskans toward “SULLIVAN, DAN S. — REGISTERED REPUBLICAN/INCUMBENT.”
At the center of the controversy is Dan J. Sullivan, a retired fifth-grade teacher who identifies as a pragmatic Republican and shares the incumbent senator’s name.
That coincidence has become a major political flashpoint.
The Alaska Democratic Party and the campaign of former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola, viewed as Dan S. Sullivan’s leading challenger, have denied any involvement in Dan J. Sullivan’s candidacy.
Republicans, however, have continued to scrutinize the campaign’s connections.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee has highlighted individuals associated with Dan J. Sullivan’s campaign, including adviser Amber Lee and representative Alan Harris. Harris previously appeared in a Majority Forward advertisement attacking Sen. Dan S. Sullivan. Majority Forward is affiliated with the Democrat-aligned Senate Majority PAC.
Senate Majority PAC has denied communicating with Dan J. Sullivan or encouraging his campaign. Dan J. Sullivan has likewise denied coordinating with Peltola.
But the controversy became serious enough that Alaska election officials initially disqualified Dan J. Sullivan after determining that his candidacy had not been filed in good faith and was intended to confuse voters.
That decision did not survive in court.
Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthews ruled that election officials did not have the authority to impose an additional “good-faith” qualification and found that the state had not established, by a preponderance of the evidence, that Dan J. Sullivan intended to confuse voters.
The Alaska Supreme Court upheld that ruling, putting Dan J. Sullivan back on Tuesday’s ballot.
Now Alaska voters have to sort it out themselves.
And the state’s unusual election system makes the situation even more consequential. Alaska uses a nonpartisan primary in which the top four finishers advance to the November general election, where ranked-choice voting determines the winner.
With 16 candidates competing for the Senate seat, it is entirely possible that both men named Sullivan could move forward.
That is precisely why Trump is hammering the distinction between the incumbent and the other candidate.
In a crowded ballot, a familiar name can carry enormous weight. Trump’s message is essentially a warning against treating the ballot like a guessing game: read the full name, check the party affiliation, and know exactly which candidate you are choosing.
For Trump and his America First movement, the episode is about more than one Senate primary. It is another reminder that elections depend not only on who appears on the ballot, but on voters having clear, reliable information when they cast their votes.
The president has made his choice clear. Now Alaska voters will make theirs.
And with two Dan Sullivans potentially advancing from the same primary, Trump is betting that Republican voters will pay close attention—and make sure they pick the incumbent Dan S. Sullivan he endorsed.
