A small-town Alaska fisherman has Republicans on the defensive as they try to keep US House majority

Independent Bill Hill, a first-time candidate, is unsettling Republicans in Alaska's U.S. House race against incumbent Nick Begich as the party works to protect its House majority. Vice President JD Vance rallied in Fairbanks for Begich and Senator Dan Sullivan this week, and President Donald Trump is due in Wasilla on Tuesday. Begich and Republican PACs have increased ad spending since the primary, according to ABC News.

Hill, 57, is Alaska Native, a retired teacher and school administrator, and a commercial fisherman who lives in a remote community of about 430 people. He campaigns on affordability and resisting billionaires, and calls himself a lifelong independent, though he drew criticism for not saying which party he would caucus with. Begich, a Trump ally, comes from a prominent political family whose earlier members were Democrats.

Some Democrats tried to ease Hill's path: one candidate quit before the August primary and endorsed him, and two others withdrew afterward. Still on the Nov. 3 ballot as a registered Democrat is Eric Hafner, an inmate in New York with no apparent Alaska ties, who received 3.8%.

Summarized by PolitiKool from ABC News’s reporting. Read the full story at ABC News →