PoliticsDevelopingUpdated 3 hr ago

Second candidate named Dan Sullivan appears on Alaska Senate ballot amid ranked-choice dispute

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, mostly right-leaning (67%).

3 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Alaska’s Senate ballot lists four candidates, including Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan and a second man with the same first and last name. Washington Examiner and Breitbart report that Sen. Dan Sullivan told Fox News’s Sean Hannity to rank the second candidate third and leave Democrat Mary Peltola unranked, and that Rep. Suhas Subramanyam said on NewsNation that recruiting a third-party candidate to take votes from an opponent is part of Alaska’s ranked-choice system. CBS News reports that Peltola denies any involvement in recruiting the second candidate, and that the New York Times reported an alleged secret effort by people aligned with her campaign to do so.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

New to Mantle? It shows who is covering each story across the political spectrum, and highlights loaded words. How to read a storyHide the guide

The coverage spectrum counts the outlets covering a story at each of five points. A short or missing segment means that part of the spectrum is mostly quiet.

Governor Loaded verb“slams”It adds drama to what was said. The governor criticized the lawmakers; “slams” makes it sound like a fight.More neutral: criticizes lawmakers over budget delay

Highlights mark words that carry a judgement. Tap one to see why, and what a neutral writer would say. Here it is “criticizes”.

The 5-point spectrum

Far Left
Voices that strongly advocate for progressive policies and systemic change.
Left
Mainstream liberal perspectives focusing on social equality and regulation.
Center
Sources that prioritize neutral reporting and balanced viewpoints.
Right
Mainstream conservative perspectives focusing on market freedom and tradition.
Far Right
Voices that strongly advocate for conservative values and limited government.

How we measure bias

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

Alaska’s Senate ballot includes four candidates, among them incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan and a second man with the same first and last name.
Reported byLeft1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
Left
CBS News
Right
Washington Examiner
Sen. Dan Sullivan told Fox News’s Sean Hannity that voters should rank the second candidate third and not rank Mary Peltola.
One outletWashington Examiner· Right
Mary Peltola has denied any involvement in recruiting the second Dan Sullivan, according to CBS News.
One outletCBS News· Left
The New York Times reported an alleged secret effort by people aligned with Peltola’s campaign to recruit the second Dan Sullivan, according to CBS News.
One outletCBS News· Left
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam said on NewsNation that recruiting a third-party candidate who can take votes from an opponent is part of the process under Alaska’s ranked-choice system.
One outletBreitbart News· Far Right

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.

A secret effort by people aligned with Mary Peltola’s campaign helped recruit the second Dan Sullivan.
CBS News reports the New York Times’ allegation of such an effort; Peltola denies any involvement.
Recruiting a third-party candidate to draw votes from an opponent is part of Alaska’s ranked-choice process.
Subramanyam says it is part of the process and that Republicans have done similar things; Sullivan urges voters to rank Peltola last and backs a ballot measure to repeal ranked-choice voting.

How each side tells it

Compare views

All three outlets report a second Dan Sullivan on Alaska’s Senate ballot. Right-side outlets emphasize Sullivan’s advice to rank Peltola last and Democratic recruitment of third-party candidates, while CBS News centers on an alleged Peltola-aligned recruitment effort and her denial.

the left
1 outlet
The only left-side coverage is one CBS News report, whose headline frames the story as a ballot fight that raises questions about the second candidate and Peltola’s campaign.
What to know about Alaska's Senate race as ballot fight heats up
CBS NewsLeftAll left-leaning headlines
the center
No coverage yet
No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
the right
2 outlets
Right-side headlines focus on Sullivan’s advice to rank Peltola last and on a nickname for the second candidate; Breitbart, the Far Right outlet, instead casts a Democrat’s defense of third-party recruiting as ballot stacking.
Sen. Dan Sullivan tells Alaskans not to rank Mary Peltola but include ‘Decoy Dan’ on ballot
Washington ExaminerRightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

Left0
No loaded words in its own voice.
Center
Has not covered this story.
Right1
Ballot Stacking

In the outlets’ own words

Partisan shorthand
Ballot StackingMore neutral: recruiting a third-party candidate
The term presumes a deliberate scheme to confuse voters, while the coverage describes recruiting a third-party candidate.
Subramanyam: Alaska Ballot Stacking 'Part of the Process' of Ranked-Choice Voting, Wish My State Had Ranked-Choice
Used byBreitbart News (Far Right)

Words quoted from someone else (1)Hide the quoted words

Loaded words that outlets reported someone else saying. They show what was said, not how the outlet chose to say it.

Delegitimizing label
Quoted
fake guyMore neutral: the second candidate named Dan Sullivan
Calling the candidate fake dismisses him as illegitimate, a judgement about the candidate rather than a fact about the ballot.
“I hate to say it, Sean, but in our screwed-up system, you rank the fake guy third, and then of course blank — do not rank Peltola,” Sen.
Quoted byWashington Examiner (Right)
These are Dan Sullivan’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

1 outlet

Leads with

the name confusion on the ballot
alleged Peltola-aligned recruitment effort
Peltola’s denial
Republican concern over voter confusion

Leaves out

Sullivan’s instruction to rank Peltola last
Subramanyam’s comments on recruiting third-party candidates

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the leftHide the headlines

CBS NewsLeft
What to know about Alaska's Senate race as ballot fight heats up
In Alaska's Senate race, voters will choose between four candidates, including GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan and a man with the same first and last name — a situation that has frustrated Republicans and drawn scrutiny for Democrat Mary Peltola.
9 hr agoRead at CBS News (opens in a new tab)

From the center

0 outlets

No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the right

2 outlets

Leads with

Sullivan’s instruction not to rank Peltola
‘Decoy Dan’ nickname
Democratic recruiting of third-party candidates
ranked-choice voting repeal measure

Leaves out

Peltola’s denial of involvement
New York Times report on a campaign-aligned recruitment effort

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 2 headlines from the rightHide the headlines

Breitbart NewsFar Right
Subramanyam: Alaska Partisan shorthand“Ballot Stacking”The term presumes a deliberate scheme to confuse voters, while the coverage describes recruiting a third-party candidate.More neutral: recruiting a third-party candidateDisagree with this highlight? 'Part of the Process' of Ranked-Choice Voting, Wish My State Had Ranked-Choice
On Thursday’s broadcast of “NewsNation Now,” Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA) said that because Alaska has ranked-choice voting, “if you recruited a third-party candidate who can take votes away from your opponent, that’s part of the process,” and he wishes his
3 hr agoRead at Breitbart News (opens in a new tab)
Washington ExaminerRight
Sen. Dan Sullivan tells Alaskans not to rank Mary Peltola but include ‘Decoy Dan’ on ballot
Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) has directed Republican voters supporting him in Alaska’s Senate race not to rank Democratic candidate Mary Peltola on the ranked choice ballot. Alaska voters will see all four candidates plus a write-in option on the Senate ballot. …
11 hr agoRead at Washington Examiner (opens in a new tab)

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

Left
1 hr 36 min later
Its first report, Oct 29, 4:40 PM EDT
Center
No report yet
From the outlets Mantle follows
Right
First to report
Washington Examiner, Oct 29, 3:04 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order

Washington ExaminerRightOct 29, 3:04 PM EDT
CBS NewsLeftOct 29, 4:40 PM EDT
Breitbart NewsFar RightOct 29, 10:21 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

Second candidate named Dan Sullivan appears on Alaska Senate ballot amid ranked-choice dispute

Coverage spectrum

Key points

Where accounts differ

Compare views

the left

the center

the right

Language to notice

In the outlets’ own words

Side by side

From the left

What to know about Alaska's Senate race as ballot fight heats up

From the center

From the right

Sen. Dan Sullivan tells Alaskans not to rank Mary Peltola but include ‘Decoy Dan’ on ballot

How the coverage built up

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