The controversy surrounding two candidates named Dan Sullivan in Alaska's U.S. Senate race has an unexpected historical parallel: John F. Kennedy's first congressional campaign, when two men named Joe Russo ran against him in the 1946 Democratic primary.
The Trump administration has sued to block certification of Alaska's Senate election if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses, arguing that voters could confuse him with another candidate, Daniel J. The lawsuit has drawn a response from Alaskan officials, who are asking a federal judge to dismiss the case. The November 3 contest could help determine control of the Senate.
Eighty years earlier, Kennedy's campaign faced a similar name problem in Massachusetts. One of his opponents was a well-known Boston city councilor named Joseph Russo. The other was a 27-year-old janitor with the same name who entered the race under circumstances that later prompted allegations of political maneuvering.
The episode offers a glimpse into Kennedy's early political career and a historical parallel to the dispute over the two Sullivans in Alaska. In 1946, Kennedy was seeking the Democratic nomination for Massachusetts' 11th Congressional District, which included Boston's West End, North End and East Boston, as well as Cambridge, Somerville, Brighton and Charlestown. A Navy veteran from a wealthy political family, Kennedy was running for office for the first time.
Among his nine primary opponents was Joseph Russo, an Italian immigrant who had become a prominent figure in Boston politics. Russo had arrived in Boston from Sicily with his family when he was 8 years old. He later established a funeral home and won election to the Boston City Council in 1938.
By the time he entered the congressional race, he had served four terms and had a following among Italian American voters. Russo questioned Kennedy's qualifications, describing the Harvard-educated political newcomer as a "young squirt" and criticizing the advantages that came with his family's wealth. He also took a swipe at Kennedy's campaign in an advertisement that read: "Congress seat for sale.
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