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

In Juneau, Alaska, independent candidate Bill Hill, 57, is leaning into everyday realities of remote life and commercial fishing as he challenges Republican incumbent Nick Begich for a U.S. House seat. Hill says he grew up in a small southwest village without a phone and helped haul water for household needs, and he now lives in a fishing community of about 430 people near Bristol Bay, where the sockeye salmon run begins in summer. His campaign emphasizes affordability and opposition to “billionaires,” while Republicans worry the race could threaten the party’s House majority. Vice President JD Vance is rallying for Begich alongside Senator Dan Sullivan, with President Donald Trump also scheduled to campaign. Hill has reportedly traveled more than 20,000 miles around Alaska.