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At the opposite end of the US, Republicans were closely watching as incumbent US Senator Dan Sullivan fended off a challenge from a little-known candidate bearing an almost identical name.<\/p>\n
Their names were distinguished on the ballot, with Senator Dan Sullivan identified as the incumbent candidate and his namesake listed as Daniel J Sullivan, Jr.<\/p>\n
The race was an open primary that pitted Republicans directly against Democrats on a single ballot, with the top four finishers due to advance to the final contest in November.<\/p>\n
Republicans feared the incumbent senator could lose crucial votes to his namesake as a result of confusion, and accused the challenger candidate of trying to trick voters.<\/p>\n
But in the end, the incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan and Democratic candidate Mary Peltola have finished as the top two, according to projections by the BBC’s US partner CBS News and others. The third- and fourth-best finishers are still to be determined.<\/p>\n
Democrats view Peltola, a former congresswoman, as one of their top chances to flip the seat and recapture the US Senate.<\/p>\n
Additional reporting by Grace Eliza Goodwin<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n