Former Anchorage mayor backs incumbent Dan Sullivan in Alaska race

Alaska’s closely watched U.S. Senate race now has another Dan Sullivan in the middle of it: a former Anchorage mayor who is urging voters to support the incumbent senator over a challenger with the same name.

Dan A. Sullivan, a Republican who served as Anchorage mayor for six years beginning in 2009, endorsed Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan on Tuesday in the contest that also includes retired teacher Dan J. Sullivan and Democratic former Rep. Mary Peltola.

“As the OG Dan Sullivan, I urge Alaskans to vote for Sen. Dan S. Sullivan. He’s been great for Alaska,” the former mayor wrote on Facebook, according to NBC News. The Guardian reported a similar version of the post, quoting him as writing, “As the OG Dan Sullivan, I urge Alaskans to vote for [Senator] Daniel S Sullivan.”

The unusual overlap has drawn national attention in a race both parties see as important to control of the Senate. Peltola and Sen. Dan S. Sullivan advanced from Alaska’s all-party primary last week, NBC News reported. Under Alaska’s system, the top four finishers advance to the general election regardless of party, with ranked-choice voting used in the election.

NBC News said it had not yet projected the other two candidates who will advance, though Dan J. Sullivan could be among them. The Guardian reported that Dan J. Sullivan emerged from the Aug. 18 primary to join a four-candidate general election field that includes the incumbent senator, Peltola and one other contender.

With some primary votes still uncounted, Peltola had 48% of the vote and Sen. Dan S. Sullivan had 43%, according to NBC News. Dan J. Sullivan had 2.4%, while other candidates had much smaller shares.

The race is considered highly competitive. Democrats see it as a possible pickup opportunity in November, and the Cook Political Report rates it a tossup.

Republicans have accused Dan J. Sullivan’s candidacy of being designed to confuse voters and pull support from the incumbent. NBC News reported that Sen. Dan S. Sullivan and Republicans have alleged the retired teacher was placed on the ballot to detract from the senator’s vote share and is working with Peltola. The Guardian reported that Republicans have characterized his campaign as a Democratic-engineered sham.

Dan J. Sullivan has denied coordinating with Peltola’s campaign or running at the direction of Democrats. “This is my choice,” he told The Associated Press in June, according to The Guardian. “I have every right to run.” Peltola has also denied involvement with his campaign.

Donald Trump weighed in on the primary day, writing on social media, according to The Guardian: “ALASKA: Be careful. VOTE FOR THE REAL DAN SULLIVAN TODAY. The Dumocrats know how good he is and have put up an imposter of the same name.”

Dan J. Sullivan’s candidacy has already survived a legal challenge. The Alaska Supreme Court ruled last month that he could remain on the ballot after the state Division of Elections had disqualified him, NBC News reported. The Guardian reported that the Republican Party had unsuccessfully gone to court to stop him from running in the primary.

NBC News also reported that state and federal prosecutors in Alaska were investigating whether the race could be part of a conspiracy to confuse voters, and that a grand jury issued subpoenas this month seeking information from witnesses linked to Dan J. Sullivan’s campaign.

The sources differed on how Dan J. Sullivan was identified politically: NBC News described him as running as a Republican, while The Guardian reported that he appeared on the primary ballot with no party affiliation.