# U.S. Senate same-name-family and surname audit, 2006–2026

**Finding: 1 qualifying pair.** Under this audit’s broader rule, a case requires two different printed candidates in the same state, same U.S. Senate contest and same general-election event to share both a surname and a commonly recognized basic first-name family—such as **Joe/Joseph** or **Dan/Daniel**. One pair qualified across the 389 distinct Senate contests reviewed: Alaska’s 2026 candidates **Dan S. Sullivan** and **Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.** [1] [2]

**Strict printed-name result: 0.** No confirmed pair had the exact same printed first name and surname. “Dan” and “Daniel” are not identical printed names, so Alaska remains a zero under the strict rule and one under the broader first-name-family-and-surname rule.

The broader rule answers the question people actually ask when they say “the same basic first name”—not whether the lettering is identical. It does not treat a shared surname alone as a match, and it does not infer intent or coordination from a name match.

## The only pair that meets the full rule

**Alaska, 2026 U.S. Senate general election:** **Dan S. Sullivan** and **Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.** The official sample ballot prints two separate candidates, “Sullivan, Dan S.” and “Sullivan, Daniel J. Jr.” The surname is the same, and Dan/Daniel are a common short/full first-name family. Middle initials, the suffix “Jr.” and party labels do not change the name-family result. [1] [2]

## The other same-surname candidate pairs checked

These were the other same-surname groups found in the screened general-election records. They do **not** meet the full rule because their first names are not part of the same basic first-name family.

- **Utah, 2006:** **Julian Hatch** and **Orrin G. Hatch**. Same surname; unrelated first names. [3]
- **Pennsylvania, 2012:** **Tom Smith** and **Rayburn Douglas Smith**. Same surname; Tom is not a short/full form of Rayburn or Douglas. [4]
- **Georgia, 2020 special Senate general:** **Deborah Jackson** and **Annette Davis Jackson**. Same surname; unrelated first names. [5]
- **Missouri, 2024:** **Jared Young** and **W. C. Young**. Same surname; “W. C.” is an initial-only printed form, not a recognized short/full form of Jared. [6]

That leaves the Alaska Sullivan pair as the only same-surname pair that also has the same basic first-name family in the audited records.

## Scope of the review

The review covers eleven biennial Senate cycles, from 2006 through the available October 24, 2026 roster, plus special general elections and identified runoffs. It includes **389 distinct Senate contests** and **396 separately screened general-election ballot events**. Seven runoff elections count as additional ballot events, not additional Senate seats or contests. The cycle-by-cycle totals are available in the accompanying [coverage CSV](senate-audit-coverage.csv).

The completed-cycle nationwide base is the Federal Election Commission’s state-reported election publications. The 2026 roster is the House Clerk’s October 8 nominations compilation, with the Alaska official sample ballot checked directly. [7] [8] [1]

## Important limits

This is a general-election and special-general-election audit; primary ballots were not comprehensively reviewed. Official result and roster compilations are strong evidence for a national candidate-name screen, but they are not photographs of every ballot style. Named write-in results were not treated as evidence that a person was printed on the ballot. The 2026 record could change after the October 24 cutoff.

The first-name-family category uses clear, common short/full relationships such as Joe/Joseph and Dan/Daniel. It does not attempt to build an exhaustive historical nickname dictionary or convert initials into a full first name. This audit therefore supports the careful statement: **one qualifying same-basic-first-name-and-surname pair was found in the records reviewed; that is not proof of motive or coordination.**

## References

[1]: https://www.elections.alaska.gov/election/2026/General/SampleBallots/Federal%20only "Alaska 2026 federal-only general-election sample ballot"
[2]: https://www.elections.alaska.gov/candidates/?election=26genr "Alaska 2026 general-election candidate roster"
[3]: https://www.fec.gov/documents/1639/2006senate.pdf "FEC 2006 U.S. Senate results"
[4]: https://www.fec.gov/documents/1681/2012congresults.pdf "FEC 2012 Senate and House results"
[5]: https://www.fec.gov/documents/4228/federalelections2020.xlsx "FEC 2020 election results workbook"
[6]: https://www.fec.gov/resources/cms-content/documents/2024congressgecands.pdf "FEC 2024 congressional general-election ballot candidate lists"
[7]: https://www.fec.gov/introduction-campaign-finance/election-results-and-voting-information/ "FEC election results and voting information"
[8]: https://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/2026/120-nominations.pdf "House Clerk nationwide 2026 nominees compilation"