A man serving a 20-year prison sentence in New York is on the ballot for Alaska's only seat in the House of Representatives

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A man serving a 20-year prison sentence in New Jersey for threatening public officials has made it onto the ballot in Alaska's November general election for the state's only U.S. House seat.

Eric Hafner was convicted of making death threats against judges, police officers and others in 2022 and sentenced to 20 years in a federal prison. He originally came sixth in Alaska's ranked-choice primary, in which only the four candidates with the most votes advance to the general election.

But Republican Matthew Salisbury withdrew from the race shortly before Monday's deadline, and Republican Lieutenant Governor Nancy Dahlstrom also withdrew her candidacy last month.

This means that Hafner will be on the ballot in the November general election along with Alaskan Independence Party Chairman John Wayne Howe and frontrunners Democratic U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola and Republican Nick Begich.

Peltola received the most votes of 12 candidates in the August 20 primary, followed by Begich and Dahlstrom, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump. Far behind were Salisbury and Howe, who together received just over 1% of the vote, leading the other candidates. Hafner received just 0.43% of the vote.

Alaska has no laws prohibiting felons from running for office, meaning both Hafner and Trump will be on the ballot.

However, state law requires an elected U.S. representative to be a resident of the state. Hafner has no apparent ties to Alaska and is serving his sentence in a federal prison in Otisville, New York, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons said. His release date is set for Oct. 12, 2036. There are no federal prisons in Alaska, so the candidate's slim chances of success would likely not meet the residency requirement even if elected.

This is not Hafner's first attempt to win a seat in Congress. He has previously run unsuccessfully for offices in Hawaii and Oregon, and in recent years has filed a spate of failed lawsuits in federal court claiming to be a candidate in congressional races in New Mexico, Nevada, Vermont and other states.