Skip to content

PoliticsDeveloping

Imprisoned Democrat Eric Hafner advances to Alaska’s general-election ballot

By

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 5 outlets, mostly right-leaning (60%).

6 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Newsweek reports that Eric Hafner, a Democrat serving a 20-year federal prison sentence, has advanced to Alaska’s general-election ballot for U.S. House, as he did in 2024. Hafner has never lived in Alaska, and the Alaska Republican Party went to court to help keep him on the ballot, according to the report. The episode is drawing renewed attention as Republicans accuse Democrats of helping Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., who shares a name with Senator Dan Sullivan, onto a ballot. Democrats point to the Hafner case in response. Right-leaning outlets report that the Justice Department is probing the Sullivan name issue and has amended its lawsuit over spoiler candidates in the Senate race.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Eric Hafner, a Democrat serving a 20-year federal prison sentence, has advanced to Alaska’s general-election ballot.

    One outletNewsweek· Center

  2. Hafner has never lived in Alaska and also made the general-election ballot in 2024.

    One outletNewsweek· Center

  3. The Alaska Republican Party went to court to help keep Hafner on the ballot.

    One outletNewsweek· Center

  4. Republicans accuse Democrats of helping Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., who shares a name with Senator Dan Sullivan, onto an Alaska ballot.

    One outletNewsweek· Center

  5. Justice Department prosecutors are reportedly probing whether efforts to put Dan J. Sullivan’s name on the ballot could violate federal conspiracy statutes, sources told ABC News.

    One outletJust the News· Far Right

Show 2 more pointsShow fewer points

  1. The Justice Department amended its lawsuit over spoiler candidates in Alaska’s Senate race, according to reports.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    Washington Examiner, The Center Square

  2. Alaska election officials are opposing Justice Department involvement in the Senate race.

    One outletCNN· Left

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.

  • Peltola’s campaign plotted to confuse voters by using the Dan Sullivan name on the ballot.

    A former Peltola campaign manager accused the campaign team of this plot, according to the Washington Examiner. Just the News reports that DOJ prosecutors are probing whether the maneuvering could violate conspiracy statutes. The supplied coverage does not include a response from the campaign.

  • The Hafner case is a comparable precedent for the Sullivan Jr. candidacy.

    Democrats point to the Hafner case as Republicans denounce Sullivan Jr.’s candidacy. Newsweek notes that the circumstances and legal issues in the two cases are different.

How each side tells it

Compare views

Coverage describes a contested Alaska ballot. Right-side outlets frame it as a Justice Department probe of Peltola’s campaign, the center as a prison-bound Democrat on the ballot, and the left as officials opposing DOJ involvement.

  • the left

    1 outlet

    The headline makes Alaska election officials’ opposition to Trump-era Justice Department involvement in the Senate race the story.

    Alaska election officials oppose Trump DOJ's involvement in Senate race
    CNNLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    Newsweek’s headline puts a Democrat’s prison-time candidacy first and attaches an accusation that Republicans are behind it.

    Who Is Eric Hafner? Democrat on Alaska Ballot Accused of Being Delegitimizing label“GOP Ploy”The headline gives a partisan motive as a label, while the accusation it reports is not named or sourced in the headline.More neutral: Democrat whom Alaska Republicans went to court to keep on the ballotDisagree with this highlight?
    NewsweekCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    3 outlets

    Headlines describe DOJ subpoenas and lawsuit changes over Democrat Mary Peltola’s campaign, with Far Right Just the News most pointed in calling the Dan Sullivan name issue ‘alleged trickery’.

    DOJ issues new wave of subpoenas in Alaska Democrat Mary Peltola's alleged 'Dan Sullivan' trickery
    Just the NewsFar RightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Center3

    fought to keep him on the ballotexplosive controversyGOP Ploy

  • Right1

    election integrity

In the outlets’ own words

  • Partisan shorthand

    election integrityMore neutral: lawsuit over the Alaska Senate ballot

    Election integrity is a name that presumes the ballot was compromised, which the lawsuit's merits have not established.

    Justice Department updates Alaska election integrity lawsuit after report

    Used byThe Center Square (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    fought to keep him on the ballotMore neutral: went to court to keep him on the ballot

    Describes a court filing as a fight, which adds drama beyond the reported action.

    …running for Congress from federal prison—again—after Alaska Republicans fought to keep him on the ballot.

    Used byNewsweek (Center)

  • Sensational language

    explosive controversyMore neutral: controversy

    Calls the dispute explosive without describing what happened.

    His candidacy is drawing fresh attention amid the explosive controversy over Alaska's two Dan Sullivans.

    Used byNewsweek (Center)

  • Delegitimizing label

    GOP PloyMore neutral: Democrat whom Alaska Republicans went to court to keep on the ballot

    The headline gives a partisan motive as a label, while the accusation it reports is not named or sourced in the headline.

    Democrat on Alaska Ballot Accused of Being GOP Ploy

    Used byNewsweek (Center)

Words quoted from someone else (1)Hide the quoted words

Loaded words that outlets reported someone else saying. They show what was said, not how the outlet chose to say it.

  • Loaded verb

    Quoted

    plotting to confuse the votersMore neutral: accused the candidate's team of an effort to confuse voters

    Plotting presents an intent as established, although it is the former campaign manager's allegation.

    …Alaska after her former campaign manager accused the candidate’s team of plotting to confuse the voters in one of the tightest races nationwide.

    Quoted byWashington Examiner (Right)

    These are Elisa Rios’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

1 outlet

Leads with

  • Alaska election officials’ opposition
  • Trump DOJ’s involvement in the race
See the headline from the leftHide the headlines
  • CNNLeft

    Alaska election officials oppose Trump DOJ's involvement in Senate race

    Alaska officials said new revelations in The New York Times about efforts by Democrats to recruit a Senate candidate with the same name as GOP incumbent Sen. Dan S. …

    Read at CNN (opens in a new tab)

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • Hafner’s prison-time candidacy
  • Alaska Republicans’ court role
  • Parallel to the Sullivan Jr. ballot dispute

Leaves out

  • Justice Department probe into the Sullivan name issue

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the centerHide the headlines
  • NewsweekCenter

    Who Is Eric Hafner? Democrat on Alaska Ballot Accused of Being Delegitimizing label“GOP Ploy”The headline gives a partisan motive as a label, while the accusation it reports is not named or sourced in the headline.More neutral: Democrat whom Alaska Republicans went to court to keep on the ballotDisagree with this highlight?

    Eric Hafner is running for Congress from federal prison—again—after Alaska Republicans Loaded verb“fought to keep him on the ballot”Describes a court filing as a fight, which adds drama beyond the reported action.More neutral: went to court to keep him on the ballotDisagree with this highlight?.

    Read at Newsweek (opens in a new tab)

From the right

3 outlets

Leads with

  • DOJ subpoenas and lawsuit changes
  • Alleged Peltola campaign ballot maneuvering
  • Possible federal conspiracy violations

Leaves out

  • Hafner case, which Democrats cite as a comparison

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 3 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • The Center SquareRight

    Justice Department updates Alaska Partisan shorthand“election integrity”Election integrity is a name that presumes the ballot was compromised, which the lawsuit's merits have not established.More neutral: lawsuit over the Alaska Senate ballotDisagree with this highlight? lawsuit after report

    (The Center Square) - The U.S. Department of Justice amended its lawsuit on Thursday over spoiler candidates in Alaska’s U.S. Senate race following public reports.

    Read at The Center Square (opens in a new tab)
  • Just the NewsFar Right

    DOJ issues new wave of subpoenas in Alaska Democrat Mary Peltola's alleged 'Dan Sullivan' trickery

    Sources told ABC News that DOJ prosecutors are probing "whether the behind-the-scenes maneuvering to include Dan J. Sullivan's name on the ballot could violate potential federal conspiracy statutes."

    Read at Just the News (opens in a new tab)
    1 more from Just the News
  • Washington ExaminerRight

    DOJ seeks ‘expedited discovery’ in Alaska lawsuit after Peltola NYT report

    The Department of Justice on Wednesday revealed it is shaking up its strategy to target Democrat Mary Peltola’s Senate campaign in Alaska after her former campaign manager accused the candidate’s team of Loaded verb“plotting to confuse the voters”Plotting presents an intent as established, although it is the former campaign manager's allegation.More neutral: accused the candidate's team of an effort to confuse votersThese are Elisa Rios’s words. The outlet is reporting them.Disagree with this highlight? in one of the tightest races nationwide. …

    Read at Washington Examiner (opens in a new tab)

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    1 min later

    Its first report, Oct 28, 7:51 PM EDT

  • Center

    23 hr 19 min later

    Its first report, Oct 29, 7:10 PM EDT

  • Right

    First to report

    Washington Examiner, Oct 28, 7:51 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Washington ExaminerRightOct 28, 7:51 PM EDT
  2. CNNLeftOct 28, 7:51 PM EDT
  3. The Center SquareRightOct 29, 5:48 PM EDT
  4. NewsweekCenterOct 29, 7:10 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out. Just the News gave only a date, so it is not placed.

Read next

Help someone else find the truth beneath the surface

Most people see one side of a story. Share this one, so they can see how every side is telling it and decide for themselves.

Email it

Seen a mistake? Tell us what is wrong with this page