Forget the Second Dan Sullivan. Eric Hafner Was Alaska’s Bigger Spoiler
Summary
In Alaska’s U.S. House race, imprisoned Democrat Eric Hafner received 7.3% of the vote, more than four times the 1.7% won by Dan J. Sullivan, who ran against Senator Dan S. Sullivan. Hafner’s votes could remain untransferred if ranked-choice counting ends after other candidates’ ballots push Republican Nick Begich above 50%; the article says the unofficial count could still change.Key Facts
- Dan J. Sullivan, a retired Petersburg teacher, was allowed by the Alaska Supreme Court to stay on the ballot against Senator Dan S. Sullivan.
- A New York Times report linked the namesake candidate’s recruitment to a Democratic operative; Mary Peltola’s campaign denied the claim.
- Eric Hafner, a Democrat serving a 20-year federal prison sentence who has never lived in Alaska, received 7.3% in the House race.
- The Alaska Democratic Party had urged voters not to support Hafner and backed independent Bill Hill.
- In the unofficial House results cited, Nick Begich led Bill Hill 49.6% to 40.4%, while Hafner had 15,550 votes.
- Alaska’s ranked-choice count eliminates candidates from last place and transfers ballots to voters’ next choices, but stops when a candidate passes 50%.
- In the Senate race, Mary Peltola led Dan S. Sullivan by 637 votes in the unofficial results; the article said ranked-choice transfers would be tabulated on November 18.
- The article said the Alaska results were unofficial and could change as additional votes were counted.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.