FILE – An “I voted” sticker on a wooden background. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
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A man who is serving time in a New York federal prison advanced in the primary for Alaska’s lone U.S. House seat.
Eric Hafner on the ballot
Dig deeper:
Hafner, a registered Democrat, is in prison after pleading guilty to charges in 2022 for making threats against police officers, judges and others.
He’s set to be released in 2036.
Hafner’s success in the primary will very likely draw legal challenges. Hafner also ran for the seat in 2024 and secured a spot on the general election ballot that November despite a challenge brought by the Alaska Democratic Party.
The U.S. Constitution requires candidates to, firstly, live in the state they will represent at the time of the election.
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Hafner is currently registered under his mother’s home address in South Dakota and a New York phone number – neither of which have ties to Alaska.
Interestingly, Hafner’s mother, Carol, also tried to run as a U.S. Senate candidate, but failed.
Who’s up against Hafner?
Local perspective:
Right now, the two leading candidates in Alaska’s House race are:
- Rep. Nick Begich (incumbent, Republican)
- Bill Hill (commercial fisherman, retired educator, independent)
By the numbers:
Hafner had received 5,757 votes after 93% of ballots had been counted.
That was far behind the third-place candidate, Democrat Matt Schultz. But Schultz withdrew from the general election and was ineligible to advance.
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