In Juneau, Alaska, a judge has ruled that Eric Hafner, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence, can remain on the state’s ranked choice general election ballot for the U.S. House seat. Despite a request from the Alaska Democratic Party to remove Hafner from the ballot, State Superior Court Judge Ian Wheeles in Anchorage denied the request. Hafner, who does not have apparent ties to Alaska, had pleaded guilty in 2022 to charges of making threats against law enforcement officers, judges, and others in New Jersey. He is running as a Democrat in a race that features Democratic U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola and Republican Nick Begich as the main candidates.

The Alaska Democratic Party’s attorneys argued that election officials made a mistake by including Hafner on the ballot and claimed that he does not meet the requirements to serve in Congress. They expressed concerns that Hafner’s presence on the ballot could create confusion among voters and hinder the party’s efforts to support Peltola’s reelection.

Alaska employs an open primary system, where the top four vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, advance to the ranked choice general election. Hafner initially placed sixth in the primary with 467 votes but secured a spot on the general election ballot after two Republican candidates withdrew. Peltola, Begich, and Dahlstrom received the majority of the votes in the primary, totaling 97.4%.

Begich, a supporter of repealing Alaska’s open primary and ranked vote general election system, encouraged conservatives to unite to improve their chances of defeating Peltola in November. Another candidate, John Wayne Howe from the Alaskan Independence Party, who finished fifth in the primary, also qualified for the November ballot.

The U.S. Constitution mandates that House members must be at least 25 years old, a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, and a resident of the state they represent upon election. In the Alaska House primary, four out of the twelve candidates, including Hafner, listed out-of-state campaign addresses. Hafner’s official candidacy declaration with the state Division of Elections lists a federal prison in New York as his current mailing address.