4 candidates are on the ballot. Below is what each one says they stand for, what they have actually done in office or in public life, and the arguments published for and against them — each quoted from a named source rather than summarised by us.
4 candidates · ballot order · Dan S. Sullivan currently holds this seat
Medium confidenceMedium confidenceThe candidate's stated positions and basic record are documented, but coverage is thin — often little independent reporting, or criticism from only one side.What would raise it: More independent reporting, a documented voting record, or published criticism from a named opponent would raise this.
What they say they stand for
Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.
'Fish, family, freedom' — her campaign's organising slogan, centred on subsistence and commercial fisheries.
A Making Energy Affordable for Alaskans plan: lowering energy costs, developing Alaska oil and gas, and investing in future Alaska energy.
Eliminating federal income tax for Alaskans earning under $92,000, the state's median household income.
Cutting the cost of energy, freight, childcare and housing.
Congressional term limits.
Federal campaign finance rules modelled on Alaska's, which bar direct corporate and union contributions and cap PAC giving.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
U.S. Representative for Alaska's at-large district, 2022–2025; the first Alaska Native person elected to Congress.
Previously served in the Alaska House of Representatives.
Lost her 2024 re-election bid by about 3 points, running roughly 16,000 votes ahead of the top of her party's ticket.
Finished first in the August 18 2026 top-four primary with roughly 48–49.5%.
Has raised about $18 million to the incumbent's roughly $12 million.
Announced her Senate campaign in January 2026.
Arguments in favor
She ran about 16,000 votes ahead of her party's presidential ticket in 2024 and led the 2026 primary field, evidence that her appeal in Alaska is personal rather than partisan.
— Alaska Public Media and Anchorage Daily News reporting
Her affordability plan is specific to Alaska's cost structure — energy, freight, childcare and housing — and would exempt Alaskans earning under the state median of $92,000 from federal income tax.
— Mary Peltola for Senate campaign
She has called for congressional term limits and for federal campaign finance rules modelled on Alaska's, which bar direct corporate and union contributions to candidates.
— Mary Peltola, as reported by the Alaska Beacon
Arguments against
She became 'a rubber stamp for the far-left the second she got to Washington,' despite the moderate image she campaigns on at home.
— Republican National Committee
Republicans argue her energy platform is incompatible with the resource development Alaska depends on, and her opponent went on the attack over it in the first post-primary debate.
— Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, in the August 2026 debate as reported by the Alaska Beacon
She lost her House seat in 2024 to a Republican in the same state she is now asking to elect her statewide, which her opponents present as a verdict already rendered.
— Alaska Republican Party framing, as reported by NBC News
What we couldn’t verify
How the proposed federal income tax exemption for Alaskans under $92,000 would be structured or justified constitutionally, given that federal income tax rates are uniform nationally.
Her position on ANWR and specific federal land and drilling decisions.
Whether she would support the Democratic leader in a Senate organising vote.
The Alaska Beacon's debate report could not be retrieved directly (HTTP 403), so the debate exchanges here come from secondary reporting.
Funding for the U.S. Coast Guard and the military presence in Alaska.
Investment in Alaska health care infrastructure.
Support for President Trump's agenda.
Extending Affordable Care Act subsidies, a position on which he broke with most of his party.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
U.S. Senator from Alaska since January 2015.
Attorney General of Alaska and Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources before his Senate service.
Officer in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.
Voted for the 2025 tax and spending law known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which reduces federal Medicaid spending by close to $1 trillion over a decade.
Joined Democrats in supporting a three-year extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies.
Voted to defund public media, affecting rural radio and emergency alert services in Alaska.
Finished second in the August 18 2026 top-four primary with roughly 41–43%.
Has raised about $12 million, behind his main opponent's $18 million.
Endorsed by former Anchorage mayor Dan Sullivan, a third person of that name.
Arguments in favor
He has spent years delivering real results for Alaska: historic investments in the state's health care, major funding for the Coast Guard, and policies finally unleashing Alaska's energy potential.
— Dan Sullivan for Senate campaign
He broke with most of his party to join Democrats in backing a three-year extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies, which supporters cite as evidence he votes Alaska's interest over the party line.
— Senate voting record, as reported by NBC News
His two decades in Alaska public office — Attorney General, Natural Resources Commissioner and two Senate terms — plus Marine Corps service, give him standing on resource and defence questions central to the state.
— Dan Sullivan for Senate campaign
Arguments against
He voted to slash Medicaid and to end funding for emergency alert services and rural radio, and backed funding cuts that jeopardised the state ferry system.
— Mary Peltola, his Democratic opponent
'Dan Sullivan, every single vote, votes along with corporate greed. He is there for every fat cat in the nation, from healthcare to fuel to groceries to transportation to heat.'
— Mary Peltola, his Democratic opponent
He supported the administration's Department of Government Efficiency, whose mass federal firings hit Alaska harder than any other state and worsened staffing shortages already slowing federal services and development permitting.
— Mary Peltola, his Democratic opponent
What we couldn’t verify
How he reconciles his vote for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act's Medicaid reductions with his support for extending ACA subsidies.
His response to the ferry system funding criticism.
Whether his campaign has taken any position on the second Dan Sullivan's candidacy beyond the federal investigation.
His policy positions could not be established from any source located; coverage of his candidacy has focused almost entirely on the investigation into it.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Retired teacher and former U.S. Forest Service employee, from Petersburg, Alaska.
Filed as a Republican candidate in late May 2026, shortly before the filing deadline.
Previously affiliated with the Alaska Independence Party, which he says no longer exists; registered as a Republican relatively recently.
Received campaign launch assistance from a Democratic consultant.
Finished third in the August 18 2026 primary with about 2.4–2.5% of the vote.
The FBI and the U.S. Attorney for the District of Alaska have issued federal grand jury subpoenas investigating whether his candidacy involved wire fraud or a conspiracy to deprive Alaskans of a free and fair election.
The Alaska Supreme Court ruled he remains eligible for the ballot, holding that a candidate's motivation for running has no bearing on legal eligibility.
Sources disagree on his ballot party label: Wikipedia records him as filing Republican but appearing without a party designation, while NBC News describes the November ballot as carrying three Republicans.
Arguments in favor
He denies that his candidacy was intended to confuse voters or to take votes from the incumbent.
— Dan J. Sullivan, in response to the allegations
The Alaska Supreme Court ruled he is lawfully entitled to be on the ballot, holding that a candidate's motivation for running has no bearing on his legal eligibility.
— Alaska Supreme Court ruling
Arguments against
His candidacy was launched to confuse voters and take votes from the incumbent senator of the same name — he filed just before the deadline, registered as a Republican only recently, and got launch help from a Democratic consultant.
— Republican critics of his candidacy, as reported by NBC News
Federal investigators have issued grand jury subpoenas examining whether his run amounts to wire fraud or a conspiracy to deprive Alaskans of a free and fair election.
— The FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Alaska, as reported by NBC News and ABC News
What we couldn’t verify
The outcome of the federal investigation; no charges had been brought as of this research, and an investigation is not a finding of wrongdoing.
His positions on essentially every policy question.
The identity and role of the Democratic consultant who helped launch his campaign; he declined to give details, citing the investigation.
How his name will actually be printed on the ballot, and with what party designation.
His 2026 policy positions could not be established from any source located.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Received about 1.1% in the August 18 2026 top-four primary, finishing fifth.
Advanced to the general election after fourth-place finisher David Leslie withdrew.
Described in reporting as a perennial candidate who has run for office multiple times.
Has not held elected office.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
His stated positions on essentially every issue; no substantive coverage was found.
No coverage critical of him by name could be located, so no arguments against him are recorded here. With no criticism available, no arguments for him are recorded either, so the two columns stay comparable.
His background and occupation, and any campaign finance filings.
Positions and criticism are quoted from the named sources, not our assessments. This is built to help you start getting informed — confirm the official candidate list with your election authority before you vote.
Alaska uses a nonpartisan top-four primary and decides the general election by ranked-choice voting. Four candidates advanced from the August 18 2026 primary. Roster established from NBC News, Alaska Public Media, the Anchorage Daily News and the Alaska Beacon, cross-checked. Reported primary shares differ slightly between outlets — Mary Peltola is given as 48% or 49.5%, incumbent Dan S. Sullivan as 41.4% or 42.8%, Dan J. Sullivan as 2.4% or 2.5% — so approximate figures are used below. Democrat David Leslie finished fourth and withdrew, so fifth-place finisher Gerald L. Heikes took the final general election slot; the November ballot therefore carries three Republicans and one Democrat.
Two candidates are named Dan Sullivan, which is the defining feature of this contest. The incumbent is Dan S. Sullivan. Dan J. Sullivan is a retired Petersburg teacher who filed just before the deadline; the U.S. Department of Justice, through the FBI and the U.S. Attorney for the District of Alaska, has issued federal grand jury subpoenas investigating whether his candidacy was a conspiracy to confuse voters, potentially involving wire fraud or deprivation of a free and fair election. He denies it, and the Alaska Supreme Court ruled he stays on the ballot because a candidate's motive has no bearing on legal eligibility. Candidates are listed in primary finish order; under ranked-choice voting this ordering carries no meaning.
This is one contest on a longer ballot
A Alaska ballot also carries state legislative districts, county offices, judicial seats and often local questions — and which of them you vote on is decided by your street address, not your city or ZIP code.
Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at Alaska Division of Elections.