Wednesday, August 19
Today’s number is 2.5%
2.5%
Incumbent Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan received 43.3% of the vote in Alaska’s top-four primary last night.
Dan J. Sullivan, a retired schoolteacher who appeared on the ballot with no party affiliation, took 2.5% of the vote.
That puts him in third place, and with most of the vote counted, it’s likely he will appear on the general election ballot alongside Sen. Sullivan this November.
The little-known Dan J. Sullivan fought a legal battle to stay on yesterday’s ballot after state election officials had initially disqualified him because his candidacy was not in “good faith.” The Alaska Supreme Court reinstated him because that standard had no basis in Alaska law.
Republicans accused Sullivan of being a sham candidate who will confuse voters and siphon votes from the incumbent.
There is evidence to support that theory, including similarities between his website and the senator’s and an initial filing in which he identified himself as “Dan S. Sullivan.”
He insists that’s not his intention, telling the New York Times yesterday that his goal is “not to trick people.”
