Alaska’s top 4 primary means a felon and 2 candidates with the same name will be on November ballot

Updated on: September 2, 2026 / 11:37 AM EDT / CBS News

Washington — Alaska's House and Senate contests are set for November's general election, after the results in the state's nonpartisan top-four primary put fringe candidates on the ballot, including one who shares the same name as the incumbent and a felon serving a 20-year prison sentence in New York.

CBS News projected that GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan and former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola advanced to the general election in Alaska's Senate race in August, as the frontrunners in the race that could be key to determining control of the Senate next year. With 100% of the vote counted on Sept. 1, Republican Daniel J. Sullivan and Democrat David Leslie also advanced to the general election, which will be decided by ranked-choice voting. Leslie withdrew from the race, elevating another GOP candidate, Gerald Heikes, to the ballot.

Daniel J. Sullivan, a challenger who shares the same first and last name with the senator, added a wrinkle to the already competitive race when the former teacher announced in June that he was challenging the sitting senator, prompting a push to remove him from the ballot. That month, an Alaska election…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/moneywatch/