Incumbent Democratic Alaska Representative Mary Peltola is at risk of losing re-election after a state court allowed Democratic candidate Eric Hafner to run to challenge her for her seat in the November election.

Peltola faced off against Republican candidates Nick Begich and Nancy Dahlstrom after Alaska held its ranked-choice primary in August. Hafner, who has never lived in Alaska, initially Finished He placed sixth in the state's primary with fewer than 500 votes. Bumped He moved into third place after Republicans Dahlstrom and Matthew Salisbury withdrew from the race. (RELATED: 'A major setback': Democrats slam Biden administration for climate change decisions that strangle oil industry)

Hafner is currently Serving Hafner, who is serving a 20-year sentence in a New York federal prison for threatening a public official and making a false bomb threat, will run alongside Begich, Peltola and independent John Wayne Howe.

Alaska's ranked choice voting (RCV) primary system, implemented in 2020, allows voters to list candidates on the ballot in order of preference, with the top four candidates advancing. Hafner received less than 1% of the vote in the primary, but the margin of victory between Begich and Peltola is expected to be slim, making Hafner a potential disruptive candidate.

Alaska Democratic Party Sued Last week, he sued the Alaska Department of Elections for allowing Hafner to appear on the ballot, arguing that he is ineligible under state law and the U.S. Constitution. Anchorage Superior Court Judge Ian Wheels dismissed the lawsuit on Tuesday, allowing Hafner to appear on the ballot.

“The situation that has unfolded is a direct result of ranked-choice voting, which Nick Begich has consistently opposed,” Bernadette Wilson, a senior adviser to Begich's campaign, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Fortunately, Alaskans will have the opportunity to undo this convoluted system in November. In the meantime, we look forward to a robust debate about the Biden Administration's failed policies that Mary Peltola has clearly supported as a Congresswoman.”

Peltola uses RVC defeat She defeated former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin by just 9% in the 2022 election. Peltola only received 39.7% of the vote, with the remaining votes split between Palin, who received 30.9%, and Begich, who received 27.8%.

“While we are disappointed with the justices' ruling, we remain confident that Peltola will prevail in November,” said Democratic Party Executive Director Lindsay Kavanaugh. said “Unlike Republicans, we don't need a convicted felon who received less than half of the vote in a primary to try to win by asking a candidate to withdraw until he appears on the general election ballot. We have more respect for Alaska voters than that, and our candidate is clearly a better candidate than theirs,” they said in a statement.

Left-leaning groups and activists have been lobbying to put RVC on the ballot in many states, with supporters arguing it would favor the nomination process. Conservatives, meanwhile, generally oppose RVC, arguing it confuses voters and primarily benefits Democrats.

Peltola's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the DCNF.

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