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Carol and Eric Hafner

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Carol "Kitty" Hafner and Eric G. Hafner are American political activists and perennial candidates, a mother and son known for running in United States House of Representatives elections in states of which they are not residents or have never visited. This is allowed by Article One of the United States Constitution which only requires that representatives live in the state in which they are chosen when elected.[1][2]

Carol Hafner ran in the Democratic US House of Representatives primary in Alaska in 2018, and Wyoming in 2020, without ever having visited either state. Eric Hafner ran in the Republican US House primary in Hawaii in 2016, the Democratic primary in Oregon in 2018, and as a Democrat in Alaska in 2024, also without ever having visited the last two states.

The 2024 Alaska campaign was particularly notable as Hafner ran for the office from a federal prison in New York state, having been sentenced in 2022 to 20 years for threatening government officials. He made it past the primary contest to the final ballot despite a lawsuit by the Alaska Democratic Party to remove him.

Eric Hafner

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Eric Hafner's 2024 Alaska campaign announcement as sent to KRBD

Eric G. Hafner was born in 1990 or 1991 (age 33–34)[3] in New Jersey.[4] He says he was politically active for other candidates for years, including volunteering for a Democratic presidential campaign when he was 13 years old, then two Republican candidates, Highlands, New Jersey mayor Anna Little's congressional campaign in 2010, and Ron Paul's presidential campaign in 2012.[1] He says he was jailed when he was 16, and since then has been an advocate for drug legalization and criminal justice reform.[5]

Hawaii 2016

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In 2016, Hafner ran in the Republican party primary for Hawaii's Second Congressional District. He gave his name as Rev. Dr. Eric Hafner,[4] and his occupation as ordained minister, diplomatic adviser and legal consultant,[6] with previous public service experience as medical cannabis policy adviser to Manalapan Township, New Jersey.[4] His residence was listed either as Wailuku, Maui,[6] or a post office box in Hilo, Hawaii.[1] His platform included Hawaiian nationalism, medical cannabis advocacy, and criminal law reform. He came in second, with 5,876 votes, or 44 percent of the Republican primary (the eventual election winner, Tulsi Gabbard, picked up 80,026 votes in the corresponding Democratic party primary).[1][7]

Oregon 2018

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In 2018, Hafner ran in the Democratic party primary for the 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Oregon's Third Congressional District. He was at the time a resident of Toms River, New Jersey,[8] and had never been to the state of Oregon, the closest he had ever come being a trip to Northern California years before.[1] However, he claimed to have the Portland, Oregon mentality, and said his strong New Jersey attitude would enable him to be a more effective advocate for Portland ideals.[1] His campaign motto was "drop acid and vote Hafner for Congress",[8] and his campaign promises included to "light up a joint on the House floor on 4/20".[8] He came in fourth, with 1.5% of the Democratic primary vote.[9]

Hafner said that he ran his 2018 campaign from an undisclosed location in New Jersey, because of outstanding warrants for his arrest from Middletown and Freehold townships for drug and contempt of court charges.[5] He said he had been in hiding since 2013.[5] To communicate, Hafner used Twitter, blocked telephone numbers, and an email account hosted in Switzerland.[5] "Catch me if you can," he said.[5]

Arrest and imprisonment

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In September 2019, Hafner was arrested in an airport on Saipan, in the Northern Mariana Islands, a US territory in the Pacific Ocean.[10][11] He was brought back to New Jersey, and in October was indicted on multiple charges of threatening to kill or injure elected officials, police officers, lawyers, judges, and their families, that were connected to three court cases that went against him in 2007, 2011, and 2012, and trying to extort $350,000.[10][12] The indictment said that besides direct death threats to individuals, he made false bomb threats by phone and email to an elected official’s office, a county courthouse, a police department, two law firms, and a commercial establishment.[12] He was detained without bail, while his mother Carol said she did not know where the charges came from.[10] In May 2022, Hafner pled guilty to multiple charges,[13] and in December 2022 was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison by judge Zahid Quraishi.[14][3]

Through 2024, the imprisoned Hafner filed multiple federal lawsuits in forma pauperis charging officials in states including Maine, Nevada, New Mexico, and Vermont with raising unconstitutional barriers to his becoming a candidate in congressional races in their states.[15][16][17][18] None were successful.[19]

Alaska 2024

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In 2024, Hafner ran as a Democrat for the open primary for the US House of Representatives seat from Alaska.[11] He announced his candidacy to KRBD community radio station with a letter including a photocopy of his prison ID.[11] He ran his campaign from Federal Correctional Institution, Otisville in New York state, despite the occasional lockdowns and the 15 minute limit on prison phone calls.[11] His mother, Carol, who had run for the same seat in 2018, served as his communication director.[11] He said that he was innocent of the charges he was convicted on, and was appealing his case after making a bad plea deal, and the charges were politically motivated anyway.[11][20]

Hafner was untroubled by the fact he had never been to Alaska, and observed that being a convicted felon should also not be a hindrance since another convicted felon, Donald Trump, was the current Republican presidential nominee.[11][21] As for the requirement that he move to Alaska if elected, which might seem to be difficult to achieve since he was not scheduled for parole until 2036,[22] and there were no US federal prisons in Alaska,[23] Hafner said that if he won, he would expect to be released immediately as an extraordinary circumstance under compassionate release law, so would be able to move then.[11][24]

Hafner got 467 primary votes, for 0.43%, and placed sixth, after Democratic incumbent Mary Peltola, three Republicans, and the candidate of the Alaskan Independence Party.[21][11] Normally only the top four candidates in the primary would advance to the final election.[21] However, two of the three Republican candidates, third-place finisher Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, and fourth-place finisher Matt Salisbury, withdrew after the primary, to avoid splitting the Republican vote, and give second-place Republican finisher Nick Begich III a better chance.[21] This allowed Hafner to advance to the final election in November.[25]

The Alaska Democratic Party sued to have Hafner removed from the ballot, arguing: that he would be unable to be in the state for election day; that he should never have advanced to the ballot from sixth place; and that his presence as a Democrat on the ballot could erroneously take votes from Peltola.[26] The race between Peltola and Begich was seen as extremely close, as was the national race for control of the US House.[27][24] The Alaska Republican Party and the state opposed the lawsuit.[28] The Anchorage Superior Court and then the Alaska Supreme Court ruled to keep Hafner on the ballot.[29][30] Hafner, interviewed by telephone from prison, said he had entered the race not to disrupt the election but because of his strong beliefs about climate change, natural resource preservation and rights for Indigenous people, but if his candidacy should cause Peltola to lose, that would not bother him.[20] He said that his fellow inmates were shocked and surprised that he was on the ballot, but he was.[20]

In the election, early results showed Hafner winning the Pelican-Elfin Cove precinct, but they proved to be in error.[31] In final results, Begich defeated Peltola by 48.4% to 46.4% of first choice votes (51.3% to 48.7% of ranked choice votes), and the 1% that Hafner received did not make the difference.[32]

Carol Hafner

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Carol "Kitty"[33] Hafner was born in 1953 or 1954 (age 70–71)[2] She worked as a waitress while attending college,[33] earning a bachelor's degree in family/consumer science and business from Immaculata University in Pennsylvania.[34] Then she worked for years as a flight attendant, for Eastern Airlines (which was dissolved in 1991), then for Northwest Orient Airlines (absorbed by Delta Airlines).[34] She also spent 14 years as a spokeswoman and media coordinator at the New Jersey Brookdale Community College Holocaust and Genocide Studies Center and Center for World War II Studies.[35][34]

Alaska 2018

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In 2018, Hafner ran in the Democratic primary for the US House of Representatives seat from Alaska.[2] She had never been to Alaska, and listed two New Jersey and one South Dakota addresses in her election filing.[36][37] She was registered as a Democrat in Toms River, New Jersey and a Republican in South Dakota.[33][38] An Alaska Democratic party leader challenged her candidacy, noting that the New Jersey address matched that of Eric Hafner, who had stood for two previous Congressional offices, and worried that he was using her identity as a sock puppet account for the election.[2] Carol Hafner explained that Eric was her son. In interviews, she said that she traveled frequently, currently residing in New York, and considered her Box Elder, South Dakota address, a mail drop for seniors with transient lifestyles, to be her home base.[2][33] She said that her impetus to stand for office was Hurricane Sandy, which ravaged the east coast of the United States in 2012, and left her, personally, with enduring health issues.[36] So she was running to deal with the climate change that made such storms more frequent, and against Don Young, the incumbent Republican who had held the office for 45 years, and had called climate change a "scam".[36][39] She got 5,351 votes to be the Democratic nominee, just under 14%, but did get first place in one district including Nome.[38]

Wyoming 2020

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In 2019, Hafner was the first Democratic candidate to announce for the 2020 United States House of Representatives election in Wyoming.[34] She had also never been to Wyoming, but, unlike Alaska, planned to visit it for the first time in 2020.[34] She still listed South Dakota as her home base.[40] She called herself a Democratic Socialist, feminist, and environmentalist, and the issues she supported included the Green New Deal, free tuition for higher education, federal cannabis legalization and Medicare for All.[34][41] She came in second, receiving 5,172 votes, or 21.94% of the Democratic primary.[42]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Harden, Kevin (11 May 2018). "Candidate challenges Blumenauer from afar . . . 3,000 miles away". Portland Tribune. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e Bohrer, Becky (July 18, 2018). "Democratic candidate for U.S. House seat doesn't live in Alaska". Anchorage Daily News. Associated Press. Retrieved 5 November 2024. Also available as "Candidate for Alaska congressional seat has never been to the state". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. 18 July 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  3. ^ a b McDaniel, Eric (8 December 2023). "Monmouth Man Who Threatened Officials, Made Bomb Threats Is Sentenced". Patch Media. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "District 02 - Eric Hafner (R)". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. 16 July 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e Oglesby, Amanda (May 14, 2018). "Toms River man in hiding runs for Congressional seat in Portland". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Candidate Q&A: 2nd Congressional District — Eric Hafner". Honolulu Civil Beat. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  7. ^ "PRIMARY ELECTION 2016 – State of Hawaii – Statewide". State of Hawaii Office of Elections. August 16, 2016. p. 1. Archived from the original on September 10, 2017. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
  8. ^ a b c "N.J. resident wants to represent Oregon in Congress". Oregon Capital Insider. 22 March 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  9. ^ Almukhtar, Sarah; Bloch, Matthew; Lee, Jasmine C. (15 May 2018). "Oregon Primary Election Results". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  10. ^ a b c Ford, Andrew; Goudsward, Andrew J. (October 31, 2019). "Monmouth man who ran for Congress accused of 'campaign of terror' against cops, lawyers, judges". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i Darrell, Jack (3 September 2024). "Eric Hafner advances to the AK US House ballot from federal prison". KRBD. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  12. ^ a b Wall, Karen (5 November 2019). "Toms River Man Charged With Threats To Kill Judges, Police". Patch Media. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  13. ^ Wildstein, David (18 May 2022). "New Jersey man who ran for Congress in Hawaii, Oregon pleads guilty to threatening judges, others". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  14. ^ Calderón, Jenna (December 8, 2023). "Former Monmouth County man gets 20 years in prison for phone threats, false bomb threats". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  15. ^ Nivison, John C. (January 11, 2024). "HAFNER v. MILLS et al, No. 1:2023cv00463 - Document 6 (D. Me. 2024)". Justia Law. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  16. ^ Albregts, Daniel J. (May 7, 2024). "Hafner v. Lombardo, 2:24-cv-00743-RFB-DJA | D. Nev., Judgment, Law, casemine.com". Casemine.com. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  17. ^ Strickland, Margaret (July 22, 2024). "Case 1:23-cv-01151-MIS-JHR Hafner v. Grisham et al" (PDF). GovInfo. Retrieved 21 November 2024. Also available as Strickland, Margaret (June 4, 2024). "Hafner v. Grisham, 23-cv-01151-MIS-JHR". casetext.com. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  18. ^ Crawford, Geoffrey W. (March 27, 2024). "Hafner v. Scott, 2:24-cv-165". casetext.com. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  19. ^ "A man serving a 20-year sentence in New York gets on the ballot for Alaska's lone House seat". AP News. 4 September 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024. Also available as "Prisoner serving 20 years for threats to officials makes ballot for US House seat". Fortune. Associated Press. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  20. ^ a b c Kilgannon, Corey (October 15, 2024). "How a Man Imprisoned in New York Could Sway a Key House Race in Alaska". New York Times. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  21. ^ a b c d Samuels, Iris (September 3, 2024). "Ballot for Alaska's U.S. House seat will include a convicted felon". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  22. ^ Barnwell, Jack (1 November 2024). "Eric Hafner, a New York federal inmate, makes a run for Congress". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  23. ^ "A man serving a 20-year sentence in New York gets on the ballot for Alaska's lone House seat". AP News. 4 September 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024. Also available as "A man serving a 20-year sentence in New York gets on the ballot for Alaska's lone House seat". Minnesota Star Tribune. Associated Press. 10 September 2024. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  24. ^ a b Gawley, Paige (5 November 2024). "Candidate for Alaska House Seat Has Never Been to the State — And Is Currently in Prison". Vice. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  25. ^ Brooks, James (4 September 2024). "A meeting at an Eagle River brewery helped put a convicted felon on Alaska's U.S. House ballot". Alaska Beacon. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  26. ^ Stone, Eric (5 September 2024). "Alaska Democrats ask judge to remove imprisoned out-of-state U.S. House candidate from November ballot". Alaska Public Media. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  27. ^ Darrell, Jack (7 September 2024). "The Alaska Democratic Party is suing to remove imprisoned out-of-state U.S. House candidate Eric Hafner from the ballot. Here's why it matters". KRBD. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  28. ^ Cadotte, Joe (10 September 2024). "Federal inmate running for U.S. House seat speaks with Alaska's News Source about candidacy, ballot lawsuit". KTUU-TV. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  29. ^ Brooks, James (11 September 2024). "Anchorage judge rules that imprisoned Democrat will remain on Alaska's U.S. House ballot". Alaska Beacon. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  30. ^ Darrell, Jack (September 12, 2024). "He's in a New York prison. Yet courts let him stay on a U.S. House ballot — in Alaska". Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  31. ^ Larson, Clarise (11 November 2024). "Early election results mistakenly showed imprisoned U.S. House candidate leading in one Southeast Alaska precinct". Alaska Public Media. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  32. ^ Samuels, Iris (November 20, 2024). "Begich defeats Peltola, flipping Alaska's lone U.S. House seat". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  33. ^ a b c d Hickman, Matt (20 July 2018). "Kitty for Congress". Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman. Retrieved 5 November 2024. Also available as Hickman, Matt (18 July 2018). "Kitty for Congress". Anchorage Press. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  34. ^ a b c d e f Suttles, Chrissy (September 26, 2019). "Out-of-state Democrat announces U.S. House bid in Wyoming". Northern Wyoming News. Retrieved 5 November 2024. Also available as Suttles, Chrissy (27 September 2019). "Out-of-state Democrat announces U.S. House bid in Wyoming". Wyoming Tribune Eagle. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  35. ^ Madani, Doha (20 August 2018). "Woman Running For Congress In Alaska Has Never Been To Alaska". HuffPost. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  36. ^ a b c Baxter, Adelyn (19 July 2018). "A woman seeks Don Young's seat in Congress. And she's never been to Alaska". Alaska Public Media. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  37. ^ "Candidate for Alaska House doesn't live in Alaska, but possibly lives in New Jersey". Asbury Park Press. Associated Press. July 18, 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  38. ^ a b Cervenka, Susanne (August 21, 2018). "Toms River woman lost her bid to represent Alaska in Congress". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  39. ^ Van Oot, Torey (August 20, 2018). "Carol Hafner has never been to Alaska, but she could make history as the state's first female congresswoman". Washington Post. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  40. ^ Kaczke, Lisa (October 1, 2019). "A South Dakota Democrat is running for the U.S. House, but not in South Dakota". Argus Leader. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
  41. ^ Hirst, Greg (14 August 2020). "U.S. House Dem candidate Hafner running for a Green New Deal, V.A. overhaul, legal cannabis". Oil City News. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  42. ^ "Statewide Candidates Official Summary Wyoming Primary Electionmary.xlsx" (PDF). Wyoming Secretary of State. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
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