Three Bob Fergusons and two JFKs: A brief history of same-name ballot shenanigans

Putting a same-name rival on the ballot to muddle voters is a longstanding political maneuver, and it has resurfaced in this year's close Alaska Senate contest. Republicans say Democrats arranged for a retired teacher, Daniel J. Sullivan, to compete against incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan and pull away some of his support. The Justice Department has filed suit ahead of time seeking to block the outcome should the incumbent lose, and both Alaska and the department are investigating. President Donald Trump has urged that Democratic candidate Mary Peltola and the second Sullivan face criminal charges, according to CNN.

Precedents are plentiful. In 2024, a Republican activist paid two men named Bob Ferguson to enter the Washington governor's primary against Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who won the governorship. He cited a state law making such challenges a felony, and both decoys withdrew within 72 hours. In 1930, a grocery clerk sharing the name of Nebraska Sen. George W. Norris was disqualified over a late petition. In Massachusetts, John Francis Kennedy won three terms as treasurer starting in 1954 on name recognition alone.

Shared names are protected by ballot access rules, American University's Thomas Kahn said.

Summarized by PolitiKool from CNN’s reporting. Read the full story at CNN →