From left, independent Bill Hill, Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Nick Begich and Democrat Eric Hafner, who is incarcerated in New York state, are three of the candidates running for Alaska’s sole U.S. House seat in the Aug. 18, 2026, primary election. (Photos by ADN, AP and provided by the candidate)
A mysterious text message was sent to some Alaska voters Friday promoting an incarcerated felon in Alaska’s U.S. House race ahead of the Tuesday primary.
In a race that pits Republican incumbent Rep. Nick Begich against well-funded independent challenger Bill Hill, a shadowy group is boosting Democrat Eric Hafner, a federal inmate and perennial candidate who is again running for Alaska’s lone U.S. House seat while serving a 20-year prison sentence in New York.
The text message landed with none of the typical attributions and disclosures that accompany political messages, leaving no clues on its sponsor, along with questions about its legality.
Alaska’s Tuesday primary ballot includes 15 candidates for the state’s lone U.S. House seat. Under Alaska’s election laws, the top four vote-getters in the primary will advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation. That leaves an opening: With Hill and Begich likely to advance, who will join them on the general election ballot?
Democrat Matt Schultz, an Anchorage pastor who ran with support from Alaska Democratic Party leaders, dropped out of the race last month and endorsed Hill. But he did so too late to remove his name from the ballot.
Hill backers are hoping that the ballot is free of progressive candidates who could draw support away from the independent former public educator, who has refused to say whether he will caucus with Democrats or Republicans if elected.
Begich supporters, meanwhile, hope to see a ballot free of any other Republicans.
Hafner already ran for Alaska’s U.S. House seat in 2024, when the Alaska Supreme Court ruled that he was entitled to appear on the state’s ballot, despite the slim likelihood that he would be able to move to Alaska if elected, as required by the U.S. Constitution.
Hafner advanced to the 2024 general election ballot with less than 500 votes in that year’s 12-way primary.
A text message sent to some Alaska voters on Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, promoted Eric Hafner, a Democratic candidate for U.S. House who is currently serving a prison sentence in New York. (Screenshot of text message)
In 2024, the National Republican Congressional Committee sought to boost Hafner, in a strategy intended to strengthen Begich. A spokesperson for the NRCC did not respond when asked whether the committee was behind this year’s effort to elevate Hafner.
A similar strategy is being used to boost candidates that could weaken Begich. A political action committee call Cornerstone Founders PAC, which has yet to disclose its backers, reported this week spending $463,000 on targeted ads promoting Clay Strickland, a Republican, and Clay McDermott, a Libertarian.
The spending follows a blueprint laid out in Alaska’s high-stakes U.S. Senate race, where independent groups are spending millions on fringe candidates that could draw votes from the leading contenders.
The unnamed Hafner boosters promise that Hafner “stands with Bernie Sanders” and that he “will stop Trump.” Meanwhile, ads paid for by Cornerstone Founders PAC say that Strickland will “back President Trump.”
Already, a political action committee supporting Hill has spent $50,000 to counter the pro-Hafner message. Wheel Dog PAC, which has spent more than $2 million backing Hill, began texting voters on Friday calling on them to “vote for the real Alaskan, not the guy in a NY prison.”
The spending from Wheel Dog PAC is bridging a massive fundraising gap between Hill and Begich.
Hill reported raising $1.3 million for his campaign account as of last month. Begich reported raising $3.9 million.
Several PACs are also spending to boost Begich, including one called Defend American Jobs, a pro-cryptocurrency group, which spent nearly $500,000 late last month to run ads supporting the Republican.