Alaska Senate Candidate Sullivan Departs Hometown Before Election

WHO:

TMZ - Daniel J. Sullivan is an independent Alaska Senate candidate whose name is almost identical to Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan.

CBS News Politics - Multiple sources confirmed that Daniel J. Sullivan left Petersburg, his Alaska hometown.

CNN - The race involves Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan, independent candidate Daniel J. Sullivan, Democrat Mary Peltola and Republican candidate Gerald Heikes.

CNN - Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy launched an investigation into whether Democrats sought to confuse voters by recruiting Daniel J. Sullivan.

CNN - Derek Tisler is counsel with the Brennan Center’s Elections and Government Program; Russell Luke is a political science professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks; David Becker is a former DOJ attorney and founder of the Center for Election Innovation & Research; and Derek Muller is an elections law professor at Notre Dame.

CNN - The Trump administration filed a lawsuit over Daniel J. Sullivan’s candidacy, arguing it could confuse voters. President Trump has criticized the Alaska race and questioned whether Peltola should be seated if she wins.

WHAT:

CNN - David de la Fuente, deputy director for politics and research at Third Way, said Alaska had long waited weeks for results in close races, even before ranked-choice voting.

CNN - CNN reported that the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a Republican challenge to Mississippi’s practice of accepting ballots that arrive after Election Day.

NY Post - Alaska said setting aside ballots cast for Daniel J. Sullivan was “both disturbing and impossible,” and that doing so would violate voter privacy.

TMZ - Daniel J. Sullivan reportedly left his hometown shortly before the election; the article describes him as accused of being planted to split or confuse votes.

CNN - The ballot controversy has prompted lawsuits, criminal investigations and threats to block certification if incumbent Dan Sullivan loses to Peltola.

CNN - Dunleavy said that if an investigation finds “wrongdoing,” certification could be “stopped or changed.”

CNN - The Alaska Supreme Court had ruled that Daniel J. Sullivan could appear on the ballot. A judge was considering requests to dismiss the Justice Department lawsuit, with a ruling possible as soon as the coming weekend.

CNN - Some Senate Republicans’ possible effort to prevent Peltola from being sworn in was described as speculation; CNN reported no evidence that such an effort would occur.

WHERE:

CBS News Politics - Daniel J. Sullivan’s hometown is Petersburg, Alaska.

CNN - Alaska’s remote geography and communities outside the state road network contribute to delays in collecting and counting ballots.

WHEN:

CNN - Alaska allows mailed ballots to arrive up to 10 days after the election if mailed within the United States, and up to 15 days if mailed from overseas, provided they are postmarked by Election Day.

CNN - If no candidate receives 50% of the vote initially, ranked-choice tabulation cannot be finalized until the 15-day return period ends; determining a winner could take about two weeks.

CNN - The next congressional session convenes January 3. CNN cited the 1996 election of Sen. Mary Landrieu and the 2008 Minnesota Senate race; the Minnesota Supreme Court declared Al Franken the winner in June 2009.

WHY:

CNN - David de la Fuente attributed Alaska’s slow vote reporting to its geography and said a substantial part of the state’s population does not travel to work by personal vehicle.

CNN - Alaska’s large size and remote communities slow ballot delivery; some ballots must be flown in.

CNN - Russell Luke said ranked-choice voting “certainly exacerbates the issue” because officials wait for the 15-day deadline before tabulation when no candidate wins a majority.

HOW:

CNN - Senate practices require a senator-elect to provide state election certification to the Secretary of the Senate for review before being sworn in.

CNN - In ranked-choice tabulation, votes for the fourth-place candidate are redistributed according to voters’ rankings among the top three; votes for the third-place candidate are then redistributed between the top two, potentially putting one above 50%.

CNN - Election-law experts said election challenges alleging misconduct, fraud or corruption proceed through the courts. David Becker said parties could seek immediate court relief if an authority interferes with certification; Derek Muller said a court could order someone else to certify results if the governor refused.

CNN - A Senate challenge to certified results would go to the Committee on Rules and Administration. Its findings would return to the full Senate, which could expel a member by majority vote if it found wrongdoing or an inaccurate count.

CNN - Alaska voters were also deciding whether to retain ranked-choice voting; voters had narrowly approved keeping it in a referendum in 2024.

(UPDATED October 31, 2026 21:58 UTC)

Alaska’s Senate race faces lawsuits over independent candidate Daniel J. Sullivan, whose name resembles the incumbent’s. Governor Mike Dunleavy is investigating possible voter confusion. Remote communities and ranked-choice voting may delay results; officials say isolating Sullivan’s ballots is impossible.

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(UPDATED October 31, 2026 10:58 UTC)

Alaska’s Senate race is roiled by a lawsuit over a candidate’s confusingly similar name. Governor Mike Dunleavy launched an investigation into possible voter confusion. Remote communities and ranked-choice voting could delay results and fuel certification disputes.