Alaska Senate Candidate Accused of Vote-Splitting Exits Hometown Before Election

The mystery surrounding Alaska's second Dan Sullivan is getting even stranger ... 'cause the Senate candidate accused of being planted to confuse voters has reportedly left his hometown just days before the election.

According to CBS News, Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. was spotted on a flight from Petersburg to Anchorage on Monday ... and no one seems to know where he went from there.

The retired elementary school teacher is running as an independent against Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola ... but his nearly identical name has sparked accusations he's only in the race to steal votes from the GOP incumbent.

And here's where things get interesting ... CBS spoke with dozens of residents in Sullivan's hometown who said they've seen no campaign signs, flyers, or other evidence he's actually running a campaign.

One local fisherman told the outlet, "I don't think it's a serious candidacy" ... while another resident called the whole situation embarrassing for the small fishing community.

Not everyone's suspicious, though ... one longtime acquaintance defended Sullivan, saying he's been a great role model and voters should have no trouble telling the two candidates apart.

As TMZ previously reported ... the New York Times revealed operatives linked to Peltola's campaign allegedly recruited the second Sullivan to split the Republican vote. Peltola's team denies any involvement, and Sullivan has maintained his candidacy is legitimate.