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Three Bob Fergusons and Two JFKs: A Brief History of Same-Name Ballot Confusion
The tactic of deploying same-name candidates to confuse voters spans decades, from a 1930 Nebraska primary to recent cases in Florida, Washington, and Alaska.
- A New York Times story Wednesday revealed that Democrats appeared to be behind recruiting retired teacher Daniel J. Sullivan to run in Alaska's Senate race, potentially siphoning votes from incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan.
- Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy said he would investigate if the "scheme" violated Alaska's laws; the Justice Department filed a lawsuit last week seeking to block election certification if the incumbent loses.
- In 2020, authorities claimed Florida state Sen. Frank Artiles recruited a "ghost candidate" with a $50,000 payment to siphon votes from Democrat Jose Javier Rodriguez, while Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson used an 81-year-old law to force two decoys to drop candidacies.
- President Donald Trump called for the criminal prosecution of Democratic candidate Mary Peltola, writing she should "suffer the Legal and Political consequences," and adding the "FAKE Dan Sullivan" should face similar repercussions.
- Such same-name tactics trace back to the 1930 Nebraska primary, where incumbent George W. Norris faced a spoiler grocery clerk, and to the 1950s, when John Francis Kennedy capitalized on Massachusetts name recognition to win state treasurer without party endorsement.
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Henry Herald+23 Reposted by 23 other sources
From 18th-century false ballots to the second JFK and double Dan Sullivans, a brief history of spoiler candidates and the unsuccessful legal challenges to them
The spoiler candidate is one of the oldest tricks in the American campaign toolbox, and the law has rarely touched it.
·Georgia, United States
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Three Bob Fergusons and two JFKs: A brief history of same-name ballot shenanigans
By Isabelle Khurshudyan, CNN (CNN) — Before there were two Dan Sullivans, there were three Bob Fergusons. In 2024, Washington’s Democratic state Attorney General Bob Ferguson was joined in the gubernatorial primary race by two other Democratic hopefuls with the same name. Was it a coincidence? More like an age-old election trick that’s come up again in this year’s tightly contested Alaska US Senate race. In Washington two years ago, a Republican…
·Idaho Falls, United States
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources61
Leaning Left2Leaning Right6Center51Last UpdatedBias Distribution87% Center
Bias Distribution
- 87% of the sources are Center
87% Center
C 87%
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