Mixed views from voters over two Dan Sullivans controversy in Alaskapublished at 00:31 GMT
Shaimaa Khalil
North America correspondent in Anchorage, Alaska
Willy Mathias says it’s clear on the ballot which Dan Sullivan is which
There’s a steady stream of voters heading into a polling station in Anchorage, Alaska.
Alaska’s Senate race is tight, with Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan facing Democrat Mary Peltola.
But a second Dan Sullivan on the ballot has brought controversy to an already close contest. Among voters here, there are sharply different views about how much it matters.
Some tell me it has been “blown out of proportion” – political theatre attracting more interest outside Alaska than within it.
“They all want to know what the drama is about,” Willy Mathias tells me.
“But it didn’t affect how I voted, one way or the other,” she says.
Asked whether it’s clear on the ballot which Dan Sullivan was which, she replies: “It says ‘Republican’ and the other one doesn’t have that. All you need to do is look.”
Jim Picard believes “the fake Dan Sullivan” is a ploy by the Democrats
But Navy veteran Jim Picard sees it differently: “I think the fake Dan Sullivan is just a dirty trick that the Democrats, I assume, are playing.
“I don’t think he’s a sincere candidate,” he says, adding: “I think we need to re-elect Dan Sullivan because of his incumbency and what he’s done for Alaska.”
The Democrats and Peltola have previously denied knowing anything about an alleged “scheme” that led to the two Dan Sullivans standing in the race.
