Sullivan and Peltola advance in Alaska Senate primary, setting up November showdown

Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola advanced from Alaska's crowded primary Tuesday, setting up the next phase of one of the most closely watched Senate battles of the midterm elections.

Sullivan and Peltola emerged from a 16-candidate field under Alaska's nonpartisan primary system, in which candidates from all parties compete on the same ballot and the top four vote-getters advance to the November general election.

Shortly before 2 a.m. Eastern Time, with 50% of the vote counted, Peltola had 45.9% of the vote compared with Sullivan's 45%, according to the Associated Press.

Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. and Gerald L. Heikes were in position to claim the remaining two spots in the general election. However, the remaining two spots remained too early to call at the time of this article's publication. This means that two candidates named Dan Sullivan will appear on the November ballot.

The second Dan Sullivan, a retired teacher and former U.S. Forest Service employee, was allowed to remain on the ballot after a judge rejected an effort by the incumbent senator to have him removed.

Peltola has sought to keep some distance from the national Democratic Party as she campaigns in a state President Donald Trump carried by 13 points in 2024. That approach was on display last week when Peltola's campaign rejected an unsolicited fundraising appeal from former Vice President Kamala Harris.

The Cook Political Report rates the race a "toss up" as Democrats look to Alaska as one of their opportunities to gain the four seats needed to take control of the Senate.