GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola advance to battleground Senate election in Alaska

NBC News projects that Sullivan and Peltola will advance to the general election, but it’s not clear whether Sullivan will also face an opponent with the same name.

GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola will face off in November for Alaska’s Senate seat, with NBC News projecting that both candidates will advance to the general election. But it’s not yet clear whether another Dan Sullivan will also be on the November ballot.

Mary Peltola; Dan SullivanGetty Images fileDemocrats view this race as a key part of their strategy to take the Senate majority as the party tries to net four seats to take control of the chamber. And the presence of a candidate with the same name as the incumbent could add a new degree of uncertainty in November.

Alaska has a unique top-four primary, with candidates from all parties competing on the same primary ballot and the top four finishers advancing to the November general election, which is decided by ranked-choice voting. While NBC News projects that Sullivan and Peltola will both advance, the final two spots are yet to be determined.

A former teacher named Dan J. Sullivan is also on the primary ballot and is running as a Republican. The senator and his GOP allies have cried foul, arguing Dan J. Sullivan, a former teacher, is a Democratic plant, which he has denied. Peltola’s campaign has also denied any involvement with the second Sullivan’s campaign.

His presence sparked a legal battle over his spot on the primary ballot, and state and federal prosecutors are investigating whether his candidacy is part of a conspiracy to confuse voters. The federal investigation is moving forward, with a law enforcement official telling NBC News that a grand jury issued subpoenas last week to compel information from witnesses related to the Dan J. Sullivan campaign.