(The Center Square) – Eric Hafner is serving time in a federal prison in New York, but he could still be on the general election ballot for Alaska’s sole congressional seat.
Hafner, who attorneys said has never resided in Alaska, received the sixth-highest number of votes in the ranked-choice election for the congressional seat currently held by Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska. But after Republicans Nancy Dahlstrom and Matthew Salisbury dropped out, Hafner took the fourth place spot. He received 467 votes of the 108,407 cast in the August primary.
While Hafner is listed as a registered Democrat, he is not supported by the Alaska Democratic Party, which sued state elections officials to remove Hafner from the ballot.
Anchorage Superior Court Judge Ian Wheeles said he could rule as soon as Tuesday on the case after hearing arguments Monday. The arguments were available to the public via teleconference.
Hafner was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison in December for targeting politicians, judges, police and private citizens with threats and extortion attempts, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.