The Alaska Supreme Court issued a ruling on Thursday allowing a man serving a 20-year prison sentence to remain on the November ballot for the state’s U.S. House race. The decision, made in response to a case brought by the Alaska Democratic Party, was affirmed by a split court with Justice Susan Carney dissenting. A more detailed explanation of the ruling will be provided later.
The legal dispute arose when Democrats sought to have Eric Hafner removed from the ballot. Hafner had pleaded guilty in 2022 to charges related to making threats against law enforcement officers, judges, and others in New Jersey. Despite having no known connections to Alaska, Hafner is running as a Democrat in a highly anticipated race against Democratic U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola and Republican Nick Begich. His listed address on the candidacy declaration form is a federal prison in New York.
In Alaska’s open primary system, voters select one candidate per race, and the top four vote-getters move on to the general election. Hafner finished sixth in the primary but secured a spot on the general election ballot after the third and fourth-place Republican candidates withdrew. Another candidate, John Wayne Howe of the Alaskan Independence Party, also qualified.
During the legal proceedings, attorneys for the Alaska Democrats contended that there was no provision in the law allowing the sixth-place candidate to advance to the general election. On the other hand, state attorneys argued that such an interpretation was overly restrictive.
