The competitive race for Alaska’s sole U.S. House seat is heating up as several candidates prepare to face off in November. Following Tuesday’s ranked-choice primary, four candidates are set to advance. One of them, Rep. Nicholas Begich III (R-Alaska), who is currently serving his first term, is looking to retain his position. However, he’s facing tough competition from independent candidate Bill Hill.
According to early results from the Associated Press, Begich is ahead, capturing 47.9% of the votes compared to Hill’s 29.5%. This puts them both in the general election.
The primary field was quite crowded, including candidates like Republicans Ed Goldfarb and Clay Strickland, Democrats Eric Hafner and Yaklin Reynoso, Libertarian John Fodrill, and independents David Ambrose, Lady Donna Duchess, David Ritchie, and Melania Salazar. Notably, Democrat William Schultz has withdrawn from the race due to financial issues, but he will still appear on the ballot.
Although Schulz stepped back, he was in third place before his withdrawal, while Hafner finds himself in a rather unique situation. Described as a “federal prisoner and perennial candidate” by the Anchorage Daily News, Hafner is currently serving a 20-year sentence for making false bomb threats and threatening officials, having been sentenced in 2022.
Hill, who has a solid reputation for running independent campaigns, has raised over $1.3 million this year, primarily from individual donors.
Hill, who has been a commercial fisherman and is part of the Denaina Athabasca Tribe, has lived in both Anchorage and Fairbanks. He currently resides in Naknek, a small town in southwestern Alaska with a population of around 470. His campaign draws from a mix of popular policies from both political spectrums. He supports the Second Amendment and lower taxes, as well as advocating for police and first responders, while also standing for “a woman’s right to choose” and ensuring that billionaires pay their “fair share.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Begich is focused on reversing Biden administration regulations that limit oil and gas exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. His campaign emphasizes “freeing up Alaska’s resources” along with job creation, cost reduction, safeguarding Alaska Native communities, and bolstering border security. He also serves as the executive vice chair of the Western Congressional Caucus.
