The Case of the Two Sullivans

In the category of “there’s nothing new under the sun,” the case of two Dan Sullivans – one an incumbent senator and the other just an ordinary bloke – is causing heartburn for Republicans in Alaska. One thing is for sure: Residents of the 49th state better do a little studying before they go to the polls for the primary election on August 18.

In terms of precedent, there’s an old political tale that many seem to think is true about ballot confusion caused by candidates with the same name. It goes something like this:

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In 1946, John F. Kennedy was running for the US House in Massachusetts' 11th district. This included Boston’s West End, Cambridge, and a few other lesser-known districts. There were nine Democratic primary opponents, including one Italian-born city councilor named Joe Russo. Joe ran the local funeral home and held the distinction of being one of the first Italian immigrants to run for and win public office. Russo was considered a serious and threatening opponent among the Kennedy crowd who were doing anything and everything to get JFK elected for the first time. So, as the story goes, an idea was hatched.

Another Joe Russo was found in the West End. This one was a 27-year-old janitor, and he was convinced to run in the 11th district race. Reportedly, the convincing came in the form of cash allegedly forked over by Joe Kennedy. The ploy worked, and the two Joe Russos appeared on the ballot and split the vote, with over 5,000 people voting for Russo the councilor and a little less than 1,000 voting for Joe the janitor. As it turned out, Kennedy didn’t really need Big Daddy’s help: He won with more than 22,000 votes.

Surely this wasn’t the first or last time when a messy ballot can be blamed for confusion. Take the presidential race in 2000 when the so-called butterfly ballot is said to have caused many to vote for Patrick Buchanan instead of incumbent Vice President Al Gore. In that race, it wasn’t the same names that were the issue; rather, the design of the ballot caused an unholy mess.

Double the Sullivans Equals …

Naturally, the incumbent Dan S. Sullivan is not a happy camper. Alaska has an open primary system in which the four candidates with the most votes advance to the general election. The top four can be from any party. Currently, the ballot lists over a dozen candidates for senator, and of the two Sullivans, the incumbent isn’t first – in fact, he’s dead last on the list. Is it possible someone just might fill in the circle of the first Dan Sullivan instead of the second? You can bet on it, and perhaps that’s exactly what the new Dan Sullivan is hoping will happen.

Still, in interview after interview, the second Dan Sullivan says his candidacy is for real. He’s waxed on his political beliefs to many reporters, spoken about his family’s political history, and flatly denied that he’s in the race just to be a spoiler.

Of course, all of this made its way into the courts, resulting in a cameo appearance that decided nothing. The legal action was aimed at removing the newest of the Sullivans, but the court essentially “left it up to the Division of Elections to determine how he’d be listed,” according to Alaska Public Media.

So, as it turns out, the Alaskan ballot will list Sullivan, Daniel J. Jr. (the second Dan Sullivan) before the current senator, who will be listed last as Sullivan, Dan S., and underneath his name the ballot will say (Registered Republican) Incumbent.

Whew! It will be up to the hearty residents of the Last Frontier State to decipher the ballot and decide which of the Dan Sullivans they prefer. And while all this may seem somewhat amusing, the stakes are high as both parties seek to rule and reign in the upper chamber. Indeed, along with Maine, Michigan, and Ohio, Alaska is one of the primary targets for Democrats hoping to take control of the Senate. It may be well off the beaten path, but the great state of Alaska just might take center stage on Election Night.