A man serving 20 years in a New York state prison for threatening public officials has been allowed to run for Congress in Alaska, where he could influence a key race in the battle for control of the House.
Eric Hafner, 33, pleaded guilty in 2022 to charges of making threats against police officers, judges and others in New Jersey.
However, despite never setting foot in the state, he is running for the at-large Alaskan Congressional seat against incumbent Democrat Mary Peltolta and Republican Nick Begich.
In September, State Superior Court Judge Ian Wheeles in Anchorage rejected a request by the Alaska Democratic Party to remove Eric Hafner from the November ballot.
Hes running as a Democrat who says of Peltolta: I really dont care about her not getting re-elected.
Eric Hafner, a man serving 20 years in a New York state prison for threatening public officials, has been allowed to run for Congress in Alaska, where he could influence a key race in the battle for control of the House.
Republican House candidate Nick Begich and incumbent Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola shake hands after a debate
Hafner ran as a Republican for Congress in Hawaii in 2016 and as a Democrat in Oregon in 2018. His mother Carol, who has also never visited Alaska, ran for the same seat in 2018.
In 2022, he pleaded guilty to sending email and phone threats to judges, cops and lawyers while he lived in Ireland between 2016 and 2018. He also called in phony bomb threats.
With the GOP currently holding an eight seat majority in the House of Representatives, Peltoltas right-leaning seat could be the key to whomever takes power next January.
Alaska has an open primary system, which allows the top four vote-getters regardless of party to advance to the ranked vote general election.
Hafner originally finished sixth in the primary, with just 467 votes, but was placed on the general election ballot after two Republicans, Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom and Matthew Salisbury, who placed third and fourth, respectively, withdrew.
Peltola, Begich and Dahlstrom were the most prominent candidates in the race, receiving a combined total of 97.4% of the vote.
Matt Shuckerow, a Republican strategist in Alaska, called his chances of hurting Peltolta legitimate and real.
This is an extremely tight race and every vote will count, he added.
With the GOP currently holding an eight seat majority in the House of Representatives , Peltoltas right-leaning seat could be the key to whomever takes power next January
Hafner claims innocence in the case and says hes in prison because he accepted a plea deal while in bad mental health caused by being treated poorly in jail and bad legal advice, according to the New York Times.
The issues concerning the state - climate change, conservation and indigenous rights - match with those he cares about the most.
If he wins, he plans to apply for release and move to Alaska.
I didnt expect it to go the way it did, like everyones spending all this money to get me off the ballot, he said. If it blows up in their faces, great.
Attorneys for the Alaska Democratic Party said state elections officials erred in placing Hafner on the ballot and that he did not meet the requirements to serve in Congress.
They also said his being on the ballot would complicate the party´s efforts to get Peltola reelected.
It will confuse voters by presenting them with a candidate, putatively a Democrat, who Plaintiffs do not support and who would not be entitled to serve if elected, party attorneys David Fox and Thomas Amodio said in a court filing.
House members are constitutionally required to be at least 25 years old, a U.S. citizen for at least seven years and an inhabitant of the state in which they´re running when elected.
Peltola, Begich and a former lieutenant governor were the most prominent candidates in the race, receiving a combined total of 97.4% of the vote
Begich is looking to turn the state back red after Peltolta won in a shock upset in 2022
Four of the 12 candidates in Alaska´s House primary, including Hafner, listed out-of-state campaign addresses.
Hafner´s declaration of candidacy, filed with the state Division of Elections, lists a federal prison in New York as his current mailing address.
In a brief order, a split court affirmed a lower court ruling in a case brought by the Alaska Democratic Party; Justice Susan Carney dissented.
Peltola is seeking to stave off GOP efforts to reclaim the seat that Republican Rep. Don Young held for 49 years before his death in 2022.
Peltola, who is Yupik, won special and regular elections for the seat that year and became the first Alaska Native in Congress.
Begich, who has been endorsed in this race by former President Donald Trump, was among the opponents Peltola defeated in 2022.
Peltola has tried to distance herself from presidential politics, declining to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris, while also saying she is not voting for Trump.
During the debate, she said she doesnt see the world through a partisan lens and is focusing on her own race. She declined to say if shed vote for Harris.