The Landmine has learned that Naknek resident Bill Hill will soon launch a bid for U.S. House. Hill is working with the progressive consulting firm Ship Creek Group, known for working with well-funded and serious candidates. Hill was in Fairbanks today meeting with labor leaders.
According to a highly produced campaign pitch obtained by the Landmine, “Bill grew up in the small village of Kokhanok on the edge of Lake Illiamna in Western Alaska. and [sic] currently lives in Naknek with his wife Diane. He grew up subsistence fishing and hunting, trapping, and raising and racing sled dog teams with his family. Bill is first and foremost a commercial fisherman, joining his dad on the family fishing boat when he was 12 and fishing every fishing season in Bristol Bay since.”
It says Hill also worked in rural construction and as a teacher, principal, and superintendent. In 2023, Hill was named Alaska Superintendent of the Year by the Alaska Superintendents Association. He was superintendent of the Bristol Bay Borough School District.
The pitch names Representative Nick Begich (R – Alaska), and acknowledges that beating a Republican in a state Donald Trump won by 13 points will be difficult.
It goes on to say, “We anticipate the 2026 electorate to lean Republican by 5.6 points. We also anticipate 11.1% of voters to be willing to vote for multiple parties on the same ballot. To win, a candidate will need to win over those ticket splitters who typically vote Republican but are willing to vote across the aisle for a candidate with cross-partisan appeal.”
The pitch identifies several issues Hill stands for that include:
- Lower costs for working families
- End tax breaks for billionaires; lower taxes for working families
- Affordable healthcare for every Alaskan
- Protect Alaska’s fisheries and ways of life
- Prioritize resource development that benefits Alaskans
- Defend women’s right to choose
- Defend our democracy
In a January 9 email obtained by the Landmine, sent from Ship Creek Group to a labor leader in Fairbanks, Hill is described as an “Independent.” His voter registration is listed as Undeclared. But Federal Election Commission reports show a William Hill from Naknek donated $100 each to the Kamala Harris campaign (August 22, 2024), Friends of Bernie Sanders (March 14, 2025), and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for Congress (March 14, 2025).
Hill would be directly competing with Democrat Matt Schultz, another progressive candidate who entered the race in October. Schultz, an Anchorage pastor known for taking on ultra-progressive causes, reported that he raised $300,000 since he filed to run in October.
Nick Begich, however, reported raising nearly $1 million in the fourth quarter, taking his total haul in 2025 to more than $3.2 million.
Hill’s entrance into the race would create an opposite dynamic of the last two Alaska U.S. House races: two well-funded progressive candidates fighting against one well-funded conservative candidate.
In 2022, Nick Begich and Republican Sarah Palin both ran against Democrat Mary Peltola. Peltola went on to defeat Palin in the general election after Begich’s votes were retabulated using ranked choice voting.
In 2024, Begich and Lieutenant Governor Nancy Dahlstrom (R – Alaska) both ran against Peltola. After the primary, Dahlstrom, who received less votes than Begich, withdrew after significant pressure from Republicans. Begich went on to defeat Peltola in the general.
The June 1 filing deadline is four and a half months away.
Nice.
Come August 18, actual Alaska voters will rank the four candidates they want to see face off on the November 3 ballot.
Perhaps Schultz and Hill will join Begich Jr.
“……..actual Alaska voters will rank the four candidates they want to see face off on the November 3 ballot………”
Is that an acknowledgment that voters in previous elections were not actually Alaskan?
Surely you don’t mean Alaska voters will “rank the four candidates” as rank choice style voting do you? The primary is pick-ONE and the general election in November is the corrupt RCV method in case you didn’t know that…
Fair point, the language I used could allow for that interpretation.
I was speaking of Alaskans collectively ranking four candidates. We each get one vote, and the candidates who got the most, second most, third most, and fourth most of those votes proceed to the general.
Nothing corrupt about ranked-choice voting, anonymous coward, except the way partisan hypocrites who are opposed to it try to spin it.
I thought Josh made a good comment, my first comment above was mistakenly ambiguous.
He certainly didn’t call RCV “corrupt,” at least in this thread.
Anyone but that creepy Begich kid.
Anyone is better than someone supporting fascism, even if indirectly so.
Hitler vrs Stalin or Mao. Great choices. One extreme or the other……..which, of course, is where we’re obviously going. What do you think happens when a society ends up on the far extreme edge of reality?
I’m skeptical of his analysis that the 2026 electorate will lean Republican by only 5.6 points. That is in line with recent mid-term general elections, but it would be incredibly surprising if Republicans don’t struggle a bit this cycle. Trump is unpopular, Sullivan is neutral, at best but generally uninspiring. The GOP gubernatorial candidates are mostly a clown show and GOP enthusiasm in general is down.
I don’t have a crystal ball, but I’m very surprised that professionals with a crystal ball would be predicting an “ordinary” mid-term election.
Shouldn’t have said “only”. If it’s not clear, my thesis is to expect a smaller than normal lean.
🧾‘s will be kept on this comment come November 👀
I love how the far-right tosses around the phrase “ultra-progressive causes” as if it’s something to be reviled. In the case of Rev. Schultz, those causes he supports are the same ones Jesus tells us to support. Par for the course, though, that MAGA hypocrites sneer at them while wearing their alleged Christianity on their sleeves.
Ship creek group backing this guy instead of Matt truly tells you who they are and what they’re up to.