Constitutional challenge expected over in-state residency rule
Eric Hafner, a registered Democrat incarcerated at a federal prison in New York, advanced from Alaska’s primary for the state’s lone U.S. House seat on Wednesday, the Associated Press reported.
Hafner was among the candidates moving on from the primary to the November general election. He ran for the same seat in 2024 and secured a spot on that year’s general election ballot despite a challenge brought by the Alaska Democratic Party, the AP reported.
According to the AP, Hafner pleaded guilty in 2022 to charges of making threats against police officers, judges and others. He is scheduled to be released in 2036.
His advancement from the primary is almost certain to draw another legal challenge because the U.S. Constitution requires candidates to live in the state they will represent at the time of the election.
The leading candidates in the race are Republican incumbent Rep. Nick Begich and independent Bill Hill, a commercial fisherman and retired educator, according to the AP.