GOP Poised To Flip Vulnerable Dem’s Seat After Judge Greenlit Ballot Access For Imprisoned Candidate

Incumbent Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola of Alaska is at risk of losing reelection after a state judge allowed Democratic candidate Eric Hafner on the ballot to compete for her seat in November.

Peltola was originally up against Republican candidates Nick Begich and Nancy Dahlstrom after Alaska held its ranked-choice primary in August. Hafner, who has never lived in Alaska, originally finished in sixth place in the state’s primary with less than 500 votes but was bumped up to third place after Republicans Dahlstrom and Matthew Salisbury dropped out of the race.

Hafner is currently serving a 20-year sentence in a New York federal prison for threatening elected officials and making false bomb threats. Hafner is set to run alongside Begich, Peltola and independent candidate John Wayne Howe.

Alaska’s ranked-choice voting (RCV) primary system was adopted in 2020 and allows voters to order candidates on the ballot by preference, with the four top candidates advancing. Hafner received less than 1% of the vote in the primary, but because the margin between Begich and Peltola is expected to be slim, he could act as a spoiler candidate.

The Alaska Democratic Party sued