ANCHORAGE, AK - Anchorage Superior Court Judge Ian Wheeles dismissed a lawsuit from the Alaska Democratic Party last week which challenged the qualification of Democrat Eric Hafner. Hafner has never lived in Alaska and is currently incarcerated in New York but filed to run for the U.S. House Representing the state against incumbent Democrat Rep. Mary Peltola.
Haffner, while running as a Democrat in Alaska's ranked-choice voting system, is currently incarcerated in a New York Federal Prison serving a 20-year sentence for threatening public officials in New Jersey.
On September 4th, Lindsay Kavanaugh, executive director of the Alaska Democratic Party, explained that the Alaskan Democratic Party launched a lawsuit against the Alaska Division of Elections seeking to remove a Democrat from the ballot for U.S. House of Representatives.
The Alaska Supreme Court has affirmed the U.S. House candidacy of Eric Hafner, a Democrat imprisoned in New York state, upholding the dismissal of an Alaska Democratic Party lawsuit challenging his eligibility. (via @AlaskaBeacon) https://t.co/gc26yiQBU3
— Alaska Public Media News (@AKpublicnews) September 13, 2024
Under Alaksa's controversial ranked-choice system, Haffner took the sixth spot, qualifying for the general election after two Republicans who finished with more votes withdrew according to The Alaska Beacon.
Kavanaugh told the outlet, "This is about someone who is incarcerated, an unqualified candidate that shouldn’t have been moved onto the ballot."
As reported by Conservative Institute, the lawsuit alleges that Hafner does not meet the candidate qualifications laid out in Article I, Section 2, Clause 2 of the United States Constitution which reads, "No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty-five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen."
In a statement following the ruling, Kavanaugh said, "We’re disappointed by the judge’s ruling but remain confident Peltola will win in Nov."
She also lashed out a Republicans saying, "Unlike the Republican Party, we don’t have to scheme to win by asking candidates to drop out until a convicted felon gets on the general election ballot who received less than half a percentage of the votes cast during the primary. We have more respect than that for voters in Alaska; clearly, our candidates are more viable than theirs.”
Under Alaska's ranked-choice voting system adopted in 2020, Peltola defeated Republican Sarah Palin by a slim margin of nine percent. With Hafner remaining on the ballot positioned against Peltola and her Republican challenger Nick Begich, the second Democrat could act as a spoiler, potentially tilting the vote toward Begich.
Bernadette Wilson, senior advisor for Begich’s campaign told The Daily Caller News Foundation, "The situation that has unfolded is a direct result of ranked choice voting which Nick Begich has consistently spoken out against. Fortunately, Alaskans will have the opportunity to undo this convoluted system in November. In the meantime, we look forward to having a robust discussion on the failed policies of the Biden administration which Mary Peltola has unequivocally supported as congresswoman.”
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