Morning Note

Alaska’s “Dan Sullivan” saga is perhaps the strangest midterm conundrum. 

In case you have not followed the story, the Last Frontier’s Senate ballot features two candidates named “Dan Sullivan.” Republicans fear the situation will confuse voters who intend to vote for Senator Dan Sullivan into accidentally casting their ballots for the other Dan Sullivan, which could hand Democrat Mary Peltola an inadvertent victory. We are sorry if that gave you a headache.

GOP operatives have long suspected the second Dan Sullivan, a retired schoolteacher, is some sort of liberal plant. According to a Wednesday New York Times report, they are right. The piece claims pro-Peltola operatives recruited Sullivan to run simply because of his name, hoping the scheme would trick Alaskans into voting against their incumbent senator. They allegedly spent the summer of 2025 compiling a list of as many Alaska-based “Dan Sullivans” as they could find. The Justice Department is investigating. Read more.