The Alaska Democratic Party is steaming mad that a Democrat, who is also a felon serving time in a federal penitentiary in New York, is on the final-four ballot for Alaska’s congressional seat in November. They are suing the Division of Elections to get him off the ballot so Mary Peltola can win.
Open primaries and ranked-choice voting was designed by liberals to ensure more Republicans would be on the November ballots than Democrats and split the campaign donations, volunteers, and momentum of conservatives. But it just didn’t work out that way on the second election to use the new system.
“Congresswoman Mary Peltola won the August 20 primary election with a clear majority of the votes cast. The next three highest vote-getters were all Republicans. But as an apparent result of last-minute machinations at the expense of Alaska voters, two of those three Republican candidates dropped out, and Defendants [Division of Elections] certified late Monday that they intended to place the fifth and sixth-place finishers on the general election ballot in their place,” the lawsuit says.
It goes on to say that the sixth-place finisher, Eric Hafner, the felon who has made violent threats against political figures, judges, and others, cannot and should not be on the ballot.
“Alaska law does not provide for the inclusion of the sixth-place primary finisher on the general election ballot under any circumstances. But if it did allow for such inclusion, Mr. Hafner would need to be replaced by the seventh-place finisher: Mr. Hafner is disqualified from representing Alaska in Congress for two reasons. First, because he is not and cannot possibly become an inhabitant of Alaska—as the U.S. Constitution requires—while he is serving a federal prison sentence in New York until 2036. And second, because he failed to list his full residence address on his declaration of candidacy, as Alaska law requires,” the lawsuit says.
The Democrats have been promoting open primaries and ranked-choice voting method, with the top four finishers in the open primary going on to the November ballot.
Now, however, they want to revise the rules to fit their desire to get Peltola reelected. And the lawsuit alleges, without proof, that the withdrawal of both Republicans was orchestrated by the Alaska Republican Party.
“On information and belief, the withdrawals of Lieutenant Governor Dahlstrom and Mr. Salisbury were orchestrated by the Alaska Republican Party in an effort to ensure that only one Republican candidate appears on the general election ballot,” the lawsuit reads. Even if it was, there is nothing in law to prevent a political party from acting in a politically advantageous way. It’s how the Democratic Party operated to get Al Gross off the ballot in 2022, so Peltola could win for Congress.
The lawsuit’s “information and belief” is based on dark-money news organization reporting from the Alaska Beacon. But weakening the case is the fact that the Democrats did not sue over Hafner’s name being on the ballot for the primary. The party only was interested after Hafner made it to the general election ballot, where he may peel votes away from the Democrats’ incumbent.
In addition to Anchorage attorney Thomas Amodio representing the Alaska Democratic Party, the Elias Law Group of Washington, D.C. is representing the plaintiff. David R. Fox is a partner at the law group that signed off on the lawsuit. He specializes in ballot access issues for the group. The firm was a key player in the Russia hoax, and Marc Elias was the man who paid Fusion GPS for the Steele dossier when he was at Perkins Coie. He is the biggest “lawfare” attorney the Democrats have nationally. Elias represented Sen. Bob Menendez and Hunter Biden’s business entities.
According to the Washington Examiner, Elias is using “fringe” theories to sow 2024 election chaos.
This story will be updated. Check back.
