‘Almost everything is the exact same’: Jake reviews Alaska’s copycat Senate race with Dan Sullivan v. Dan Sullivan

Alaska’s U.S. Senate race has an unusual wrinkle: two candidates named Dan Sullivan, both running as Republicans. The incumbent, Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, is seeking a third term. The challenger, Dan J. Sullivan, is a retired teacher from the island community of Petersburg who filed to run earlier this year.

State and federal prosecutors are investigating whether Dan J. Sullivan’s candidacy is part of a conspiracy to confuse voters. A federal grand jury has issued subpoenas to those linked to his campaign.

Jake Skorheim, co-host of “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio, brought the case to “Spike’s Court,” a recurring segment in which Jake presents evidence and asks Spike O’Neill to render a verdict.

Jake presents the evidence against the challenger Dan Sullivan

Jake laid out his case piece by piece. First: When Dan J. Sullivan registered to run, he initially filed as Daniel S. Sullivan, using the incumbent’s middle initial instead of his own.

“His real name is Daniel J. Sullivan. But when he initially registered to be on the ballot, he registered as Daniel S. Sullivan,” Jake said. “When they asked him about this and when they challenged him in court on this, he said it was just a simple typo, and this is something that can happen to anybody.”

Second: his campaign website.

“His website also looks almost identical to the other Dan Sullivan,” Jake said. “If you were to go to a website, look these two guys up, it’s almost imperceptible. They look like the exact same logos; almost everything is the exact same.”

Third: his political donation history.

“Even though he is now registering to run as a Republican, he has acknowledged that he has made previous donations to Miss Peltola’s campaign and a handful of other Democrats,” Jake said.

And finally, Jake pointed to something The New York Times noticed during a home visit:

“The reporter also noted a refrigerator magnet featuring Che Guevara, the Marxist revolutionary. Mr. Sullivan said he didn’t realize it was on there, and when asked about it, he said ‘perhaps his children had put it there.'”

Spike delivers his verdict

Spike heard the arguments, lifted his summer squash gavel, and ruled.

“It is this court’s decision that Dan Sullivan Jr., Jr. Sullivan, is indeed an attempt to split voting amongst those voting Sullivan in the U.S. Senate election in the state of Alaska,” Spike said. “The court appreciates your respect; it’s beer time.”

Jake accepted the ruling with open arms.

“I respect the ruling of this court, and I think you have decided wisely,” Jake said.

He noted, however, that Alaska courts have not reached the same conclusion; the state Supreme Court ruled in June that Dan J. Sullivan must remain on the ballot, and he has advanced to the November general election.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3