Bill Hill, Bristol Bay fisherman and educator, enters Alaska U.S. House race as independent

Iris Samuels, Anchorage Daily News on Jan 21, 2026

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

Bill Hill, a Bristol Bay commercial fisherman and educator, said Wednesday that he is running for Alaska's U.S. House seat as an independent.

The seat is currently held by Republican U.S. Rep. Nick Begich, who in 2024 unseated Democrat Mary Peltola. Begich is running for reelection. Also in the race is Matt Schultz, a Democrat who announced his campaign in October.

Hill, a Dena'ina Athabascan, grew up in Kokhanok before moving to the Bristol Bay village of Naknek. He taught public school in Juneau and later served as superintendent of the Bristol Bay Borough School District. He retired from a career as a public educator in 2023 after being named Alaska's superintendent of the year.

"I'm getting in this race because Alaskans deserve someone in Congress who gets it: We don't want handouts. We want to be able to work hard, take care of our families, and live the Alaska way," Hill said in a campaign announcement. "And we don't think billionaires, corporations, and politicians should get to rig the system to profit off our hard work."

In an interview, Hill said he had never been a registered Republican or Democrat and declined to say who he would caucus with if elected to Congress.

"I am somebody who can work with anybody, but my main focus is going to be to find the people who are going to focus on reducing costs to Alaskans, working on corruption, challenging corruption in Washington, D.C., and protecting the Alaska way of life."

Though he does not affiliate with a political party, federal records show that in recent years he has donated $100 each to Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris; independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who caucuses with Democrats; and New York Democratic U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. He has not given to any other federal candidates in recent years. Ahead of the 2022 election, he gave $3,500 to Democratic gubernatorial candidate Les Gara.

Hill's entry into the race complicates the previous contrast between the Republican incumbent Begich, who has closely aligned himself with President Donald Trump and his policies, and Schultz, the Democratic reverend who has pitched his campaign as an alternative to the status quo in the GOP-controlled Congress.

Under Alaska's open primary system, all candidates will appear on the same primary ballot in August. The top four vote getters, regardless of party affiliation, will advance to the general election.

In addition to Hill, Begich and Schultz, Fairbanks Democrat John William has also indicated he plans to run, though he has not reported any fundraising or significant campaign activity.

Alaska's ballot this year is expected to be a crowded one, with high-profile races for U.S. House, U.S. Senate and governor.