By SUZANNE DOWNING
June 6, 2026 – As Alaska election officials weigh complaints about a US Senate candidate sharing the same name as the state’s incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan, a similar controversy unfolded in Washington state two years ago, where two gubernatorial candidates named Bob Ferguson withdrew from the race after allegations that they were recruited to purposefully confuse voters.
The parallel is striking.
In Alaska, a Petersburg resident named Dan Sullivan recently filed to run for the US Senate and even changed his voter registration to Republican. He has a history of donating to Democrats, including Senate candidate Mary Peltola. His candidacy places him on the same ballot as incumbent Republican US Sen. Dan Sullivan, who has represented Alaska in the Senate since 2015.
The filing prompted concerns from the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which sent a letter to Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom and Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher, asking for additional safeguards to prevent voter confusion.
One Nation launches $6 million Alaska ad campaign thanking Sen. Dan Sullivan
Alaska election officials have not yet announced what actions, if any, they may take before ballots are printed in early July.
Meanwhile, Washington state already experienced a different version of the same controversy.
Two candidates named Bob Ferguson withdrew from Washington’s gubernatorial race after pressure from Attorney General Bob Ferguson, the Democratic frontrunner for governor. Had they remained in the race, three candidates with the same name and party affiliation would have appeared on the ballot
Attorney General Ferguson characterized the effort as a deliberate attempt to mislead voters.
“Look, it’s clear what’s going on. Anti-Democracy Republicans orchestrated a deceptive and illegal scheme to deceive voters and illegally influence the election,” Ferguson told reporters after his campaign sent cease-and-desist letters to the other candidates.
Washington law contains an actual provision addressing such situations. Candidates who file for office under the same name as a person with a widely known political reputation may face a Class B felony charge if authorities determine they intended to mislead voters.
Alaska has no such law but the Washington law sets a type of precedent that could show Alaska’s lieutenant governor how to proceed and even boot the Petersburg Poser from the ballot.
The Washington controversy drew national attention after a conservative activist acknowledged helping recruit candidates sharing the attorney general’s name. Glen Morgan told The Seattle Times he had attempted to find even more Bob Fergusons to place on the ballot before the filing deadline.
Washington Republican Party Chairman Jim Walsh said the state GOP was not involved in the effort, while Republican gubernatorial candidate Dave Reichert publicly stated that he did not support attempts to deceive voters.
Public records showed the two additional Bob Ferguson candidates had filed as Democrats and listed the same UPS store in Olympia as their campaign address.
One candidate, Robert Benjamin Ferguson, withdrew while claiming he was doing so “under duress.” The other, Robert Arthur Ferguson, withdrew just before the state’s deadline, saying his lifelong dream of running for governor had been destroyed because he shared a name with a more prominent politician.
Their departures left only Attorney General Bob Ferguson on the ballot under that name. He went on to become governor.
The Washington episode intensified discussion about how election systems handle candidates with identical names.
In Alaska, the issue is now squarely before state election officials. The state’s Division of Elections and lieutenant governor must now decide: Should the Petersburg Poser just be booted from the ballot altogether?
With overseas and military ballots scheduled to be mailed in early July, election officials have only a narrow window to determine how they will address concerns over the Decoy Dan candidacy.
The outcome could establish an important precedent for future Alaska elections, particularly as ranked-choice voting and open primaries continue to produce unusually large candidate fields and crowded ballots.
13 thoughts on “Same-name candidate controversies emerge in Alaska and Washington, raising voter confusion concerns”
Dan Sullivan, the Petersburg drunk, has been effectively used as toilet paper by the Democrat Party and Scott Kendall. Mental illness runs deep when you allow your name and reputation to be smeared like feces on a wool blanket. Try getting rid of that!
Well. The campaigns going forth will just have to be more creative; while Div of Elections starts using Middle Initials and Incumbent to tell Voters who’s who; while voters need to be smarter. Scammers put out Mass quantities of digital emails, texts, phone calls knowing there will be a Few not very smart victims in the crowd to profit off.
Democrats are hoping (and expecting) some of US Sen Dan Sullivan voters are not smart and highly emotional to get overwhelmed by the confusion.
Mary Peltola
Israel Lobby Total: $434,706
PACs: $59,706
IE: $375,000
AIPAC (’24), DMFI (’24), JAC (’24)
Completely irrelevant. Has nothing whatsoever to do with the topic of this,posting
Some people are completely obsessed with their all consuming hatred of others.
Who is this name change helping?
Which side of the aisle hates not zionism or the state of Israel, but often simply Jews?
Posting the democrat candidate’s political contributions from such sources is not good for her campaign. The more publicity this receives the worst for her.
Wise up.
Micah, similar to what happened when soundly defeated Rep. Thomas Massie’s biggest donor Jewish billionaire Jeffrey Yass was revealed; while Massie repeatedly bragging he took no AIPAC money.
Yass is not a zionist or representing aipac.
We need to have clear terms. Many Jews are not zionists and many Jews do not support the actions of the state of Israel, no matter how many zionists try and equate anti zionism with anti semitism.
I hope those who spent north of 30 million to defeat a republican in a safe seat enjoy their pyrrhic victory. Many independent rightists are not voting for neocon zionist candidates. There is little difference between a lying marxist and a lying neocon zionist.
“…….. two candidates named Bob Ferguson withdrew from Washington’s gubernatorial race after pressure from Attorney General Bob Ferguson………”
Pressure. Sorely lacking in Alaska. It’s pretty sad when even Washington state demonstrates how to do it to Alaskans.
In case you don’t know, this another Scott Kendall election rigging scheme. Nearly everyone he has ever backed us part of a scheme. Even his brother in law Grier Hopkins up in Fairbanks.
What S. Kendall does is help people be deceitful. Apparently that is his purpose on this earth? Did he have a mother/father that taught him anything good? Has he no conscious or fear of God? Has he done anything good to promote honesty, integrity for we the people? He will stand before God one day. His judge will see, hear, and know all things about Kendall. Whether it was open for all to see or in the dark of night behind closed doors. God help him now.
Blessings, W.
Democrat Party and Democrats are all POS.
What S. Kendall does is help people be deceitful. Apparently that is his purpose on this earth? Did he have a mother/father that taught him anything good? Has he no conscious or fear of God? Has he done anything good to promote honesty, integrity for we the people? He will stand before God one day. His judge will see, hear, and know all things about Kendall. Whether it was open for all to see or in the dark of night behind closed doors. God help him now.
Blessings, W.