President Trump tells Alaska to trust ‘the real Dan Sullivan’ as they prepare for a Senate race with two ‘Dan Sullivans’

Donald Trump visited Wasilla, Alaska to press Alaskans to back the incumbent Dan Sullivan and warn about a rival with a nearly identical name, as reported by The Guardian. Sullivan will be up against the Democratic challenger, Mary Peltola, a former U.S. House lawmaker.

Recent polls have shown a close competition between Peltola and Sullivan, who are joined on the upcoming ballot by another candidate named Daniel Sullivan, a retired schoolteacher also running as a Republican. “On November 3, we’re going to send one of the best and most respected senators in DC, Dan Sullivan, the real Dan Sullivan,” Trump told the crowd.

With multiple Dan Sullivans in the race, Trump urged the audience to reject “the fake Dan Sullivan”, who, according to him, was “put up by” the Democrats. The Sullivan from the Republicans has been accused of intentionally colluding with the Democrats to split the votes of his supporters to Peltola’s advantage. The incumbent will appear on the ballot with “(Registered Republican) Incumbent” next to his name.

They think that Peltola is not good enough

At the same address, Sullivan accused his Democratic rival of siding with national leaders he said had hurt Alaska energy jobs and the state economy. However, industrial production has declined since its peak in the late 1980s. “Democrats like Mary Peltola would rather import oil and gas from Mexico than drill it in Alaska,” he wrote in a post on X.

The race will be decided under ranked-choice voting, with Alaskans able to rank up to five candidates. However, Trump attacked the method, calling it ‘a scam.’ As Trump targets the Democratic candidate, a spokesperson for Peltola’s campaign responded that she “looks forward to working with President Trump to unleash Alaska energy and lower costs … when she’s elected to the United States Senate.”

The statement added, “While Dan Sullivan continues to feel the fallout of his failed policies and support for the war in Iran, Mary spent the day talking with Alaskans … about how she will fight to lower their costs (and) take on DC corruption,” the spokesperson said in reference to Peltola’s campaign visit to Kotzebue, in northwest Alaska.

Peltola won a special election to the U.S. House in 2022 after the death of Don Young and then won a full term later that year. She was defeated in 2024 by Nick Begich, who is now seeking re-election.on.