Nick Begich III held a strong lead Tuesday night in the 2026 U.s. House Alaska At-large District General Election, with about 70% of precincts reporting and nearly 50% of the vote. Bill Hill was in second with about 40%, and Eric Hafner trailed in third with 7.2%.
That count mattered because Alaska can settle the seat outright only if Begich clears 50% of first-choice votes. If he does not, the race moves into ranked choice counting, and the winner will take longer to emerge.
Begich told supporters at a joint gathering with Dan Sullivan after the second wave of statewide results that a recent ballot drop made him cautiously optimistic. He pointed to energy wins, saying, “We opened up NPR-A. We opened up ANWR. We're getting that gas line,” and added, “This is what delivering for Alaska looks like.”
The numbers behind the race helped explain why the lead was not automatic. Hill ran as an independent, raised $2.6 million, and had his campaign managed by Ship Creek Group, while Wheel Dog PAC spent $3.6 million in support of him. Hafner, meanwhile, spent no money on his campaign and was a federal inmate serving a long sentence in New York. He was also the only Democrat in the race, a label that may have cut two ways after Hill won the Alaska Democratic Party endorsement without that being obvious in the voting booth.
One vote in Anchorage captured the stakes on the ground. Richetta Carey said two progressive campaigners knocked on her door Sunday and gave her a ride to the Midtown Mall for early voting. “Thank you, Jesus,” she said of the help getting to the polls. That kind of late turnout effort feeds directly into the final count, which is why Begich’s margin still had room to move as more ballots came in.
Begich, the nephew of Mark Begich and Donald Trump’s endorsed candidate, was also defending his record from the campaign trail. During Debate for the State last month, he defended the Iran War and criticized the Affordable Care Act. But on Tuesday night the question was simpler: whether the nearly 50% total would hold as the final ballots were added. If it does, Begich wins outright. If it slips under 50%, Alaska’s House race goes to ranked choice and the wait continues.
