By SUZANNE DOWNING
June 2, 2026 – One of Alaska’s most unusual political storylines is getting a sequel.
Eric Hafner, the New Jersey man who made national headlines in 2024 by running for Alaska’s lone US House seat while serving a federal prison sentence in New York, is back on the ballot for 2026. And he’s not alone.
His mother, Carol “Kitty” Hafner of South Dakota, has filed to run for US Senate in Alaska, creating what may be the state’s most geographically dispersed political ticket: a Senate candidate from South Dakota and a House candidate campaigning from federal prison.
The Hafners have built something of a reputation as America’s most mobile congressional candidates. Over the years, both mother and son have run for congressional seats in states they had never visited, taking advantage of a constitutional quirk that allows candidates for Congress to live outside a state while campaigning, so long as they reside in the state by the time they are sworn in.
Carol Hafner previously ran for Alaska’s US House seat in 2018 as a Democrat, despite never having visited the state. She later launched a congressional campaign in Wyoming, another state she had not yet seen in person. In both races, she promoted environmental causes, climate-change policies, and progressive priorities.
Her son has assembled an even more unusual political resume.
Eric Hafner first sought office in Hawaii, then Oregon, and then Alaska, often while living thousands of miles away from the voters he thought he could represent. His 2018 Oregon campaign became famous for slogans that included promises to “light up a joint on the House floor on 4/20” and the memorable campaign motto, “Drop acid and vote Hafner for Congress.”
In 2024, Hafner entered Alaska’s US House race from the Federal Correctional Institution in Otisville, New York, where he is serving a 20-year sentence following convictions related to violent threats against public officials and others. Despite receiving less than one-half of one percent of the vote in the primary, a series of candidate withdrawals unexpectedly advanced him onto Alaska’s general-election ballot.
The Alaska Democratic Party sued to have him removed, arguing that his candidacy could siphon votes from then-Rep. Mary Peltola. Alaska courts ultimately allowed him to remain on the ballot.
Although his candidacy generated headlines across the country, Hafner ultimately received about 1% of the vote, while Republican Nick Begich defeated Peltola.
Now, the Hafner family is making another appearance before Alaska voters.
With Carol seeking a Senate seat and Eric once again pursuing Alaska’s House seat, the mother-son duo may have secured a unique place in Alaska political history. It is not every election cycle that voters are asked to consider candidates residing in South Dakota and a federal prison in New York.
Then again, this is Alaska. And in a year already crowded with candidates, including two Dan Sullivans running for the same US Senate seat, the return of the Hafners may be just another reminder that when it comes to Alaska elections, almost anything is possible. And with ranked-choice voting, everything is possible.
3 thoughts on “News of the weird: The Hafners are back on Alaska’s ballot”
Is Carolina haffner also running for congress in Wyoming?
Or is a different person/same name?
“……..Although his candidacy generated headlines across the country, Hafner ultimately received about 1% of the vote………..”
I’m impressed. I’d figure Alaskans at being dumber and more self-destructive than that. I’m shocked it wasn’t 5% or more.
He should have been Bill Walker’s running mate. Both thieves.