In bid for re-election, Alaska U.S. Rep. Nick Begich defends against 14 challengers

Republican U.S. House candidate Nick Begich and his supporters wave campaign signs at the corner of the Seward Highway and Northern Lights Boulevard on Nov. 4, 2024, the day before Election Day. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

By James Brooks

Alaska Beacon

Two years ago, Republican Nick Begich III defeated incumbent Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola and became Alaska’s lone member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Now, 14 people are hoping to imitate Begich’s performance. 

Monday was the filing deadline for candidates interested in running in this year’s elections, and in addition to the incumbent Begich, there are two other Republicans, six independents, two Libertarians and four Democrats.

That tally could change by June 27, the deadline for candidates to drop out of the race. 

In the state’s primary election on Aug. 18, Alaska voters will each pick one of the 15 candidates. The top four vote-getters advance to the November general election. At that election, voters will rank the final four in order of preference, using ranked choice voting to pick the winner.

Begich’s two leading challengers are expected to be Democratic candidate Matt Schultz and independent candidate Bill Hill.

Schultz is a pastor in Anchorage who was one of the first people to officially challenge Begich, and he has the endorsement of many of the state’s Democratic officials. Among his endorsements is Tom Begich, a Democratic candidate for governor and Begich III’s uncle.

Hill, a commercial fisherman and former public-school superintendent, has raised significantly more money than Schultz, campaign finance records show, but much of that money has come from outside the state. Hill has also hired Ship Creek Group, an experienced campaign consulting firm in Anchorage.

Of the 15 candidates, five do not live in Alaska: nonpartisan Melanie Salazar, Democratic candidate Yaquelin Reynoso, Democratic candidate Eric Hafner, Republican candidate Eddie Goldfarb and Libertarian John Foddrill.

Under the U.S. Constitution and current interpretations of that document, someone can run for U.S. House in any state as long as they live within that state at the time they take office.

In Alaska, it is common for out-of-state Americans to run for federal office; most receive less than 1% of the vote.

Hafner is a convicted felon and serving time at a federal prison in New York. Two years ago, he finished in the final four of the 2024 U.S. House race after several higher-finishing candidates withdrew.

The Alaska Democratic Party sued, arguing that he was ineligible to serve if elected. The Alaska Supreme Court ultimately ruled against the party, and Hafner remained on the ballot, finishing fourth in the general election. 

Candidates for U.S. House

• David Ambrose (nonpartisan)

• Nick Begich III (Republican) (incumbent)

• Lady Donna Dutchess (nonpartisan)

• John Foddrill (Libertarian)

• Eddie Goldfarb (Republican)

• Eric Hafner (Democratic)

• Bill Hill (Nonpartisan)

• James McDermott (Libertarian)

• Yaquelin Reynoso (Democratic)

• Melanie Salazar (Nonpartisan)

• Matt Schultz (Democratic)

• Clay Strickland (Republican)

• John Williams (Democratic)

• Matthew Williams (Undeclared)

• David Richey (Nonpartisan)

• James Brooks Cascade is a longtime Alaska reporter who lives in Juneau. He 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.