Independent candidate Bill Hill has advanced to the general election in the race for Alaska’s at-large U.S. House seat, according to projections by Decision Desk HQ. Hill, a fisherman from Bristol Bay, will challenge incumbent Rep. Nick Begich III (R-AK), who has represented the district since flipping the seat in 2024.
The results follow Alaska’s open primary system, where the top four vote-getters advance to a ranked-choice general election regardless of their political party. While Democrat Matt Schultz remained on the ballot for the Tuesday primary, he recently suspended his campaign and endorsed Hill, citing difficulties with fundraising.
Campaign finance reports through the end of June show a gap in resources among the candidates. Begich reported $3.2 million in cash on hand, while Hill held $700,000. Schultz, who has exited the race, had approximately $500,000 at the time of his report.
The scale of the financial competition is significant, with the incumbent holding $3.2 million—more than four times the $700,000 held by the Independent challenger. For the average Alaskan household, these millions of dollars in campaign spending typically manifest as a high volume of political advertisements, mailers, and outreach efforts leading up to the November election. The outcome will decide which party or affiliation holds a seat that has recently transitioned from Democratic to Republican control, influencing the balance of power in the U.S. House.
The shift to a two-person race follows Schultz’s reported struggle to maintain a competitive budget for a statewide campaign. Because Alaska utilizes a ranked-choice voting system in the general election, the consolidation of non-Republican support behind a single Independent candidate could alter the distribution of votes that would otherwise be split among multiple challengers. The general election is scheduled for November, where Alaskans will use the ranked-choice format to select their representative.
Hill’s campaign seeks to follow a precedent of independent political success in Alaska, such as the 2014 election of an independent governor. Begich enters the general election with the endorsement of Donald Trump. The final vote tally from the primary will confirm the official lineup for the November general election.