The second Dan Sullivan makes the general election in Alaska’s Senate race

NBC News projects that GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan and Republican Dan J. Sullivan will face off in the general election alongside former Rep. Mary Peltola, a Democrat.

Former teacher Dan J. Sullivan will join Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democratic challenger Mary Peltola on the general election ballot in Alaska’s Senate race, NBC News projects.

Republicans have criticized the other Sullivan’s candidacy as a potential ploy to confuse voters in a key battleground race, which he has denied. Alaska’s election system might also blunt the impact of any confusion. The top four candidates, regardless of party, advance from Alaska’s all-party primary to a ranked-choice general election, meaning voters could rank both Sullivans.

But some voters end up ranking only one candidate, which could matter in a close race — and Alaska’s Senate race could be one of the closest in the country this year.

Democrats have targeted Alaska as an opportunity to flip a seat since well before the same-name saga consumed the race, even though President Donald Trump carried the state by double digits in each of the last three presidential elections.

Peltola, a former state legislator and city council member, became the first Alaska Native to represent the state in Congress when she won a statewide special election in 2022 and then a full term months later. Peltola lost her seat after one term by 3 percentage points, running well ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris at the top of the Democratic ticket in 2024.