Commercial fisherman Bill Hill paused his campaign to return to Bristol Bay as the world’s biggest sockeye salmon run began. “Commercial fishing is the way that we pay the bills,” he said. Hill is challenging Republican Nick Begich for Alaska’s only U.S. House seat, with high fuel and other costs at the center of his campaign.
Who Pays the Cost
Hill, 57, lives in a remote fishing community of about 430 people. He grew up in a small southwest Alaska village where his family had no phone and hauled water from a nearby lake for cooking and bathing. A retired teacher and school administrator, Hill has presented himself as a working-class candidate who understands the costs Alaskans face.
Fuel ranks among the expenses he hears about most. Earlier this year, Hill flew home and pumped fuel oil from the textile manufacturing business he runs with his wife. He carried it back to their house in a barrel after their community ran out. Hill said the price climbed from about $6.70 per gallon to about $9 after a barge shipment arrived. Communities reachable only by air or water have also faced higher fuel prices.
Hill’s campaign has posted fuel prices around the state while criticizing Begich’s support for the Iran war. Begich has backed expanded oil and gas development. Zach Bannon, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, called that support one of Begich’s “commonsense wins for Alaska.”
His campaign says Hill has traveled more than 20,000 miles by plane, ferry and all-terrain vehicle to meet voters and promote his message. At a Juneau event, Hill wore jeans, a zip-up vest and a cap bearing a fishing company logo. “I need your help getting there,” he told attendees.
The Policy and the Race
President Donald Trump has pointed to Begich’s support for his signature package of tax breaks, social service cuts and immigration enforcement, which passed last year. Begich is seeking a second term and has aligned himself with Trump, who has carried Alaska in his White House runs. The package’s tax breaks and service cuts put federal policy directly into the contest, while Hill’s campaign centers affordability and opposition to billionaire influence.
National Republican groups and House Majority PAC, which seeks to flip the House to Democrats, are involved in the race. After the primary, Begich and Republican political action committees increased ad spending. Vice President JD Vance held a rally this week for Begich and U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan; Trump is scheduled to hold another rally in the coming week. U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson held a rally for Begich in early August that reporters couldn’t attend.
Bannon called Hill a “far-left Democrat.” The Alaska Democratic Party has endorsed Hill, though he says he’s a lifelong independent and won’t be beholden to a “party boss” or party line. Hill has called for bans on congressional stock trading and limits on money’s influence in elections. He has also said he’d work with anyone on what’s best for Alaska.
Voters and Representation
Hill’s path to the Nov. 3 ranked-vote general election runs through a crowded field. One Democrat suspended his campaign before the August open primary and endorsed Hill. Two other Democrats with virtually no name recognition withdrew after the primary, despite being in line to advance. Eric Hafner, registered as a Democrat, remains in the top four after receiving 3.8% of the vote. He’s incarcerated in New York and has no apparent ties to Alaska. Hill’s campaign circulated stickers showing Hafner in an orange jumpsuit and calling him a “fake ‘Democrat.’”
At Hill’s Juneau event, retired economics professor Bill Brown said he agreed with Hill on the environment, schools and ending “forever” wars. He added that he was “most interested in the integrity of the candidate.” Voter Steve Davis said Hill appealed to him partly because he wants Congress to reclaim its oversight role. Hill received applause when he said Congress must reassert itself as a separate but equal branch of government.