In 331 races on Nov. 3 across 28 states, 668 candidates share a last name with another candidate running in that race. This total includes races for one congressional race, 13 state contests, and 317 local races in Ballotpedia’s coverage scope. Two hundred fifty-six of these races are nonpartisan, and 75 are partisan.
Nebraska has the most elections where candidates share a last name, with 61. Nebraska is one of six states with more than 20 such elections, along with Kentucky (54), Indiana (47), Michigan (40), Minnesota (27), and California (24). Seven states had just one instance of candidates sharing a last name, including Ohio, which, in 2025, had the most elections with candidates sharing a last name (100).
The most common last names for candidates to share are Smith and Johnson, with nine races in which candidates share those last names. The next highest number is Williams, with six such elections.
Some notable races where candidates share a last name include:
- Alaska’s U.S. Senate election: Incumbent Senator Dan S. Sullivan (R) shares not only a last name, but a first name with Dan J. Sullivan (No Party Affiliation). This became subject to a lawsuit where the Alaska Supreme Court ruled the non-incumbent Sullivan could appear on the ballot. The Alaska Division of Elections initially ruled that Dan J. Sullivan could not appear on the ballot, citing a state law that prohibits candidates from appearing on the ballot “in a manner that is confusing or misleading to voters or compromises the fairness or neutrality of the ballot.”
- Nevada Governor: Attorney General Aaron Ford (D) shares a last name with independent candidate Danielle Ford (No Political Party)
- Detroit Public School Board: Four seats are up for election on the Detroit Public Schools board. Thirty-one candidates are running, of which four pairs share the same last name: Harris, Lemmons, Simpson, and Williams.
In 2024, 414 candidates across 206 races shared a last name. In 2025, 438 candidates across 215 races shared a last name.
To read more about candidates sharing a last name, click here.