Alaska Supreme Court Explains Why it Allowed Sixth-Place Finisher for U.S. House in 2024 to Advance to the November Election

Posted on by August 7, 2025

Last year, two of the top-four finishers in the Alaska primary for U.S. House withdrew after the primary, so the Alaska Elections Division allowed the fifth-place and sixth-place finishers to qualify for the November ballot. Afterwards, the Democratic Party of Alaska sued to block the sixth-place finisher. If the Democratic Party had won the case, there would only have been three candidates for U.S. House on the November ballot instead of four.

But the party lost the case last year. The Alaska Supreme Court had issued a one-sentence order last year, providing for four candidates, and had said it would explain its reasoning later. Finally, on July 25, 2025, the Supreme Court explained its decision. See that here. Alaska Democratic Party v Beecher, S-19231.

The reason the Democratic Party didn’t want the sixth-place finisher on the ballot was that he was a Democrat. The Democratic Party didn’t want two Democrats on the November ballot, even though Alaska has ranked choice voting. And it is true that most of the November voters who voted for the sixth-place finisher as their first choice did not go on to give their second-choice vote to the mainstream Democratic candidate.

Comments

Alaska Supreme Court Explains Why it Allowed Sixth-Place Finisher for U.S. House in 2024 to Advance to the November Election — 14 Comments

  3. When the Top 4 law was being drafted, they didn’t really think about candidates withdrawing. It seemed to reasonable that if a withdrawal, death, etc. happened they would just move the 5th place candidate into the Top 4. They certainly did not consider what would happen if two candidates withdrew and the 6th placed candidate was in federal prison in another state and had never been to Alaska.

    The solution would be to simply prevent withdrawals, etc. If a deceased person somehow appeared to have been elected, simply declare the seat vacant. Or better yet, if a candidate dies during the campaign period cancel the election.

  5. I think it’s worthwhile to point out that part of the reasoning the Alaska Democratic Party didn’t want the 6th place finisher (Eric Hafner) on the general election ballot is because he is a convicted felon currently serving a prison sentence. They believed him advancing to the general election would hurt their chance to retain the seat.

  8. https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2025/08/07/immigration-birthright-citizenship/85569356007/

    Judge blocks Trump’s birthright order nationwide in fourth such ruling since Supreme Court decision
    Associated Press
    Greenbelt, Md. — A federal judge in Maryland late Thursday ruled President Donald Trump’s administration cannot withhold citizenship from children born to people in the country illegally or temporarily, issuing the fourth court decision blocking the president’s birthright citizenship order nationwide since a key U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June.
    —
    4 STRIKES — PLAY BALL ???

  14. One quarter of Puerto Rico is not in Texas. One quarter of Texas is not in Puerto Rico. Actually, none of Puerto Rico is in Texas, and none of Texas is in Puerto Rico.

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