JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A judge decided on Tuesday that a man currently serving a 20-year prison sentence can stay on the ballot for Alaska’s ranked choice general election for the U.S. House seat. This ruling came as a surprise to many.
State Superior Court Judge Ian Wheeles, based in Anchorage, turned down a request from the Alaska Democratic Party to disqualify Eric Hafner from appearing on the ballot for the November election. Hafner, who does not appear to have any connection to Alaska, pleaded guilty in 2022 to making threats against police officers, judges, and others in New Jersey. He is running as a Democrat in a closely watched election featuring Democratic U.S. Representative Mary Peltola and Republican Nick Begich.
Lawyers for the Alaska Democratic Party argued that state election officials made a mistake by allowing Hafner to be included on the ballot, claiming he does not meet the necessary requirements to serve in Congress. They expressed concern that Hafner’s presence on the ballot could hinder the party’s efforts to support Peltola’s reelection campaign.
In their court filing, party attorneys David Fox and Thomas Amodio stated, “His candidacy will confuse voters by presenting them with a candidate who is superficially a Democrat, but whom we do not support and who would not be eligible to serve if elected.”
Alaska’s election system allows the top four candidates from the primaries to advance to the general election, regardless of their party affiliation. Hafner originally finished sixth in the primary, receiving only 467 votes, but moved up to the general election ballot after two Republican candidates, Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom and Matthew Salisbury, who placed third and fourth, dropped out. The most significant candidates in the race—Peltola, Begich, and Dahlstrom—together received a remarkable 97.4% of the total votes.
Begich, who is in favor of changing Alaska’s open primary and ranked choice election system, has encouraged conservative voters to come together for a better chance at defeating Peltola in the upcoming election.
John Wayne Howe, a member of the Alaskan Independence Party who initially came in fifth during the primary, also qualified to be on the November ballot.
According to the U.S. Constitution, members of the House of Representatives must be at least 25 years old, must have been a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, and must be a resident of the state they wish to represent at the time of their election. Four out of the 12 candidates in Alaska’s House primary, including Hafner, provided out-of-state addresses for their campaigns.
Hafner’s candidacy declaration, filed with the state Division of Elections, lists a federal prison in New York as his current mailing address.
