A man who doesn’t live in Alaska and is currently sitting behind bars just advanced in the race to represent the Last Frontier.
Eric Hafner, a registered Democrat, advanced in the primary in the race for Alaska’s lone U.S. House seat.
Hafner is on his way to the general election despite currently sitting in federal prison in New York after pleading guilty in 2022 to charges of making death threats against judges and other law enforcement officials, KTUU Alaska reported.
The candidate information on file reportedly shows that Hafner listed a South Dakota mailing address and a New York phone number, both matching his mom’s, according to the Guardian.
His mother, Carol Haafner, filed to run for a Senate seat in Alaska and is also a Democrat.
The way Alaska does their elections is just completely absurd.
The spoiler Dan Sullivan is going to advance in the Senate race despite winning less than 4,000 votes.
And on the House side, Eric Hafner, a guy currently serving a 20-year prison sentence, is also going to advance pic.twitter.com/mRzfuHUqwR
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) August 19, 2026
Not making this up. A guy currently in federal prison in New York is about to advance to the General election in the Alaska at-large House race for winning less than 5,000 voteshttps://t.co/uCuVva9GPd
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) August 19, 2026
Hafner garnered 5,757 votes and came in far behind his Dem opponent Matt Schultz, but Schultz reportedly withdrew from the general election.
According to Alaska’s election system, Hafner reportedly would have advanced to the general regardless, as the top four primary finishers automatically advance, despite party affiliation.
As BizPac Review reported last week, an investigative sting uncovered extremely shady behavior at a primary voting station in Anchorage.
It seems the good people of Alaska, like much of the country, have their work cut out for them if they care about free and fair elections:
You can thank Lisa Murkowski for that voting system! It was the only way she could win her last election because no one really wants her.
— Victoria O’Kane (@Victoriaokane) August 19, 2026
Eric Hafner isn’t letting a mild roadblock like being sentenced to prison stand in his way. What an inspiration!
— Burt Macklin (@BurtMaclin_FBI) August 19, 2026
ALL BECAUSE Lisa Murkowski didn’t want to face Republicans alone in proper Republican primaries of any kind. Not even with runoffs. And because she knows she’d place third even in a regular jungle primary, since then most Democrats wouldn’t care to vote for her.
— Chris (@chriswithans) August 19, 2026
The way Alaska does their elections is just completely absurd by design. Democrats made it this way to force Republican candidates to fight & attack each other in the general election & to trick conservative voters into wasting their votes on spoiler candidates.
— Izengabe (@Izengabe_) August 19, 2026
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