JUNEAU, Alaska – As Alaska’s primary election season intensified this summer, independent U.S. House candidate Bill Hill stepped away from the campaign trail and headed back to Bristol Bay.
The world’s largest sockeye salmon run was getting underway, and Hill had work to do.
“I told my team that I have got to fish,” Hill said. “Commercial fishing is the way that we pay the bills.”
Hill, 57, was raised in a small village in southwest Alaska, where he said his family did not have a telephone and collected water from a nearby lake for cooking and bathing. His circumstances have changed, but not dramatically. He now lives in a remote fishing community of roughly 430 residents, a place he has called home for almost half his life.
A former teacher and school administrator, Hill is running as a working-class candidate who understands Alaskans’ anger over soaring fuel prices and other living costs. Affordability and opposition to billionaire influence are at the heart of his campaign against Republican Nick Begich, who is seeking a second term in Congress.
“We are pedal to the metal, making sure that every Alaskan knows about this campaign, every Alaskan knows what we stand for and every Alaskan knows that it’s really one of them going to Congress,” Hill told supporters at a Juneau event this week. Wearing his usual campaign outfit—jeans, a zip-up vest and a cap bearing a fishing company logo—he added: “I need your help getting there.”
The contest is drawing attention from Republicans as they work to preserve their narrow U.S. House majority. Vice President JD Vance campaigned this week for Begich and U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, who is also facing a competitive reelection bid. President Donald Trump is scheduled to appear at another rally in the coming week.
Since the primary, Begich and Republican political action committees have significantly increased their advertising in the House race.
Planes, ferries and four-wheelers on the campaign trail
Hill, an Alaska Native and first-time candidate, is challenging an incumbent whose family has been deeply woven into the state’s political history. Begich’s late grandfather once represented Alaska’s only U.S. House district, while his uncle Mark served as a U.S. senator. Both were Democrats. Nick Begich, by contrast, is a lifelong Republican who has closely aligned himself with Trump, a candidate who has won Alaska in his presidential campaigns.
Hill’s campaign says he has covered more than 20,000 miles across Alaska—traveling by airplane, ferry and all-terrain vehicle—to meet voters and lay out his platform.
Begich’s familiar name remains a major obstacle for Hill, although several Democrats helped simplify the path to the general election. One ended his campaign before the August open primary and endorsed Hill. Two other Democrats with little name recognition later withdrew, despite qualifying to move forward.
Eric Hafner, a candidate registered as a Democrat, remains among the top four finishers. He has no obvious connection to Alaska and is imprisoned in New York.
Hafner won 3.8% of the vote, enough to advance to Alaska’s ranked-choice general election on Nov. 3. His biography submitted for state election materials does not mention that he is serving time in federal prison for threatening police officers, judges and other people.
Hill’s campaign has circulated stickers depicting Hafner in an orange jumpsuit and labeling him a “fake ‘Democrat.’”
“We want to make sure that the Alaskan people are well-informed,” Hill said.
Begich gets support from Trump and the US House speaker
The Alaska House race has attracted national interest and major outside spending from organizations including the National Republican Congressional Committee and House Majority PAC, which is working to help Democrats regain control of the chamber.
In early August, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., held a rally for Begich that was closed to journalists. At his Fairbanks rally, Vance described Begich as a “machine” and an effective legislator. Vance also endorsed Sullivan, who is being challenged by Democrat Mary Peltola, a former congresswoman.
Trump has pointed to Begich’s support for his signature legislation combining tax cuts, reductions in social services and tougher immigration enforcement, which passed last year. The president is expected to headline a Tuesday rally in Wasilla, the hometown of Sarah Palin, the party’s 2008 vice presidential nominee.
Hill said the visits show Republicans are nervous.
“I was not going to get into this race to waste people’s time, to waste people’s money,” he said. “I did my due diligence before jumping in to ensure that there was a path to victory.”
Begich’s campaign did not respond to messages from The Associated Press. On social media, the campaign has highlighted events such as Begich’s visit to the Alaska State Fair and recently has taken swipes at Hill.
Zach Bannon, an NRCC spokesperson, said Begich has delivered “commonsense wins for Alaska,” including support of expanded oil and gas development. He called Hill a “far-left Democrat.”
Hill was endorsed by Democrats but asserts his independence
Hill, who was endorsed by the Alaska Democratic Party, said he is a lifelong independent. He said he will not be beholden to a “party boss” or party line, and he rankled some voters earlier in the campaign by not explicitly saying which party he would caucus with in the House if he were elected.
He has said he is willing to work with anyone on what is best for Alaska. He also has called for bans on congressional stock trading and for limiting the influence of money in elections.
Hill said he wants to help build coalitions, saying he “can be a big part of a small group that makes big changes.”
Democrat Bill Brown came to the Juneau event planning to vote for Hill but wanting to talk with him directly. He said they aligned on numerous issues, including support for the environment, schools and ending “forever” wars.
The retired economics professor said policy is important, but in this political moment he finds himself “most interested in the integrity of the candidate. Bill Hill convinced me on that issue.”
Hill, who is Dena’ina Athabascan, said the top concerns he hears about from Alaskans are the price of fuel and overall cost of living. He said he had to fly home earlier this year and pump fuel oil from the textile manufacturing business he runs with his wife and bring it back to his house in a barrel because the community had run out.
He said fuel prices jumped from about $6.70 per gallon to about $9 per gallon after a barge shipment to his town earlier this year. Prices also have been higher elsewhere, particularly in communities accessible only by air or water. On social media, Hill’s campaign calls out Begich for his support of the Iran war as it posts photos of fuel prices around the state.
Steve Davis, a voter at Hill’s Juneau event this week, called him authentic and a “really good dude.” He said he was drawn to Hill in part because he wants to see Congress reclaim its oversight role. Hill drew applause during the gathering when he said Congress must reassert itself as a separate but equal branch of government.
“We don’t need a unified executive, we don’t need kings,” Davis said. “We need a Congress that actually functions.”
