The state is going well past “Sullivan, Dan S.” and “Sullivan, Dan J.” to distinguish between the two Republican U.S. Senate candidates on the Aug. 18 primary election ballot.

Two-term Sen. Dan S. Sullivan is the only candidate in any race on the state’s official sample ballot published July 1 to have “incumbent” next to his name. There is no such indicator for U.S. Rep. Nick Begich or any state legislators.

And retired Petersburg teacher Dan J. Sullivan is the only candidate on the ballot without a political party indicator, even though he is a registered Republican and filed for the ballot as a Republican.

The listings, determined by the state Division of Elections, follow a contentious month-long legal battle that could influence which political party controls the U.S. Senate after November’s mid-term general elections.

Alaska’s Senate seat is among those considered in play as Democrats try to win control of Congress.

It appears the division decided that designating the incumbent senator and leaving out the Republican designator for the challenger was how it would make sure that voters knew which Sullivan was which.

“At this time, the Division of Elections does not have additional information beyond what has already been publicly shared,” Stephen Kirch, a spokesperson for the division, stated in an email sent to the news media on July 1.

Dan J. Sullivan’s attorney, Jeffrey Robinson, declined to comment when contacted by the Juneau Independent.

A review of sample ballots listed on the division’s website from the past five general elections did not show any candidates for federal office listed as incumbents, according to reporting by the Anchorage Daily News.

State regulations call for the candidates to be listed with their middle initials if they have the same first and last names. But state election officials, during legal proceedings last month, stated they didn’t believe that was enough of a difference to avoid voter confusion between the two Sullivans.

The elections division decertified Dan J. Sullivan as a candidate on June 15, claiming that the purpose of his candidacy was confusion aimed at diverting votes from the incumbent in what is expected to be a close race against Democrat Mary Peltola.

The Alaska Supreme Court on June 29 upheld a judge’s ruling overturning the division’s decision to boot Dan J. Sullivan off the ballot, placing him back on the ballot. But the Supreme Court ruling also stated the division would determine how Dan J. Sullivan shall be listed as a candidate “within the confines of existing Alaska ballot design law.”

There is no specific state law for adding “incumbent” to a candidate’s ballot listing or removing a candidate’s party affiliation.

The division stated during court hearings that a final decision on Sullivan’s eligibility was needed by June 30 in order to print ballots in a timely fashion.