Commercial fisherman and former schools superintendent will run for US House as independent
- Alaska Beacon
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
Bill Hill joins the race for Alaska’s lone seat in the US House of Representatives
By James Brooks
Alaska Beacon
Bill Hill, the former superintendent of the Bristol Bay School District, is running for Alaska’s lone U.S. House seat as an independent, he said by phone on Wednesday morning.
Hill joins a race that includes incumbent Republican Rep. Nick Begich III and two Democratic challengers — pastor Matt Schultz of Anchorage and history teacher John Williams of Fairbanks. The deadline to enter the race is June 1.
Under Alaska’s election system, the top four finishers from the August primary election will advance to the November general election, where voters are allowed to rank their picks in order of preference.
“I want people to know I’m an authentic Alaskan who’s concerned about our state and our nation, and I want to stand up and I want to represent everyday Alaskans in Congress,” Hill said. “I think we need to end the idea that having a millionaire in Congress who cozies up to billionaires is right for Alaskans. People like that don’t know what our lives are like, and so we need a real Alaskan in Congress, and I’d love to represent that.”
Named as Superintendent of the Year in 2023 by the Alaska Superintendents Association, Hill is a Dena’ina Athabascan who grew up in Kokhanok on Iliamna Lake and later moved to Naknek. He worked as a public school teacher in Juneau, as a commercial fisherman and schools superintendent.
“I guess, how I see my first self first is as an Alaskan. And I think, like many Alaskans, I’ve just had a breadth of experiences,” he said.
In an interview with the Anchorage Daily News, Hill declined to say whether he will caucus with Republicans or Democrats if elected to the House.
That’s a key question. Most U.S. House seats in the United States have been firmly gerrymandered or polarized in favor of one party or another, leaving a relative handful that can easily switch control from election to election.
Alaska leans Republican and isn’t currently included in a widely referenced list of swing districts, but it has been shifting toward the middle in recent years, and if President Donald Trump remains unpopular among Alaska voters, that trend could accelerate.
The House is closely divided between Republican-controlled and Democratic-controlled seats, and if Alaska becomes a swing state, its House seat would be important to control of the House.
By text message, Hill said, “I am committed to getting the best deal I can for Alaska. For that reason, I’m not going to pick a caucus ahead of time. I’m not going to give up that leverage. That’s Alaska’s leverage, and I’m going to use it.”
Asked about his specific priorities, he said he wants to “find ways to lower costs to Alaskans. I mean the price we pay at the pump or the grocery store or child care, and especially health care. I mean, if I was in Congress, I’d be voting to extend the ACA tax credits and lower the cost of premiums to Alaska.”
Campaign finance records show Hill has contributed financially to the campaigns of Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie Sanders and Kamala Harris. In 2022, he financially supported Democratic Alaska gubernatorial candidate Les Gara.
Asked about those contributions, he said, “I have a great concern with the way that billionaires impact our government, and I’m really frustrated by the lack of response from elected officials … and I want to fight that power. I want to be there to make sure that we get the government back working for the people. And I might not agree with people who are doing the fighting, but I think that’s a primary fight for the American and Alaskan people,” he said.
• James Brooks is a longtime Alaska reporter, having previously worked at the Anchorage Daily News, Juneau Empire, Kodiak Mirror and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Alaska Beacon is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
