In Alaska’s US Senate race, it’s Mary Peltola, two Dan Sullivans and 12 others

An early voting station is set up in the atrium of the State Office Building in Juneau on Aug. 5, 2024, the first day of early voting for the 2024 Alaska primary election. (James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

By James Brooks

Alaska Beacon

As national Democrats seek to win control of the U.S. Senate, they’ve named Alaska one of their top targets. They’ve already donated millions of dollars to boost the candidacy of Democratic candidate, and former U.S. House Representative, Mary Peltola.

Meanwhile, Republicans are doing the same with incumbent U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan. Both will be competing against 14 other candidates in the upcoming Aug. 18 primary election.

In that election, each voter picks one candidate and the top four-vote getters advance to the Nov. 3 general election. In that election, voters will sort the candidates in order of preference using ranked choice voting to select the eventual winner.

Monday was the deadline to file as a candidate for the U.S. Senate race, and the field includes seven Republicans, three Democrats, three independents, a Green Party member and a Libertarian candidate. 

In addition to the incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan, one of the challengers is also named Dan Sullivan, and he’s also running as a Republican, albeit from Petersburg instead of Anchorage.

Among the other candidates are frequent participants in past Alaska elections — Republican Gerald Heikes, Republican Dustin Darden, and Libertarian Scott Kohlhaas.

Carol Hafner, running as a Democrat, is the mother of Eric Hafner — currently serving a felony sentence in a New York prison —  who finished in the final four for Alaska’s 2024 U.S. House race and is running in this year’s contest, too.

The deadline for any candidate to withdraw from the primary election is June 27.

Candidates for U.S. Senate

• Dustin Darden (Republican)

• Fred Grauberger (Republican)

• Richard Grayson (Green)

• Carol Hafner (Democratic)

• Gerald Heikes (Republican)

• Sidney Hill (Undeclared)

• Richard Mayers (Republican)

• Mary Peltola (Democratic)

• Scott Kohlhaas (Libertarian)

• David Leslie (Democratic)

• Heather McElwain (Republican)

• Reece Roberts (Nonpartisan)

• Shirley Saucerman (Nonpartisan)

• Earl Southworth (Alaskan)

• Dan S. Sullivan (Republican) (incumbent)

• Dan J. Sullivan (Republican)

• James Brooks Cascade is a longtime Alaska reporter who lives in Juneau. He previously worked at the Anchorage Daily News, Juneau Empire, Kodiak Mirror and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Alaska Beacon is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.