By SUZANNE DOWNING
Sept. 16, 2026 — Former Alaska Democratic congressional candidate Matt Schultz, formerly of New York City, is now directing some of his sharpest criticism at his own party, two months after suspending his campaign for Alaska’s US House seat and urging his supporters to back independent candidate Bill Hill.
In a lengthy Facebook post, the Anchorage pastor argued that America’s political problem is not polarization, but what he described as a “catastrophic crash to the right.”
“Our problem isn’t polarization,” Schultz wrote. “Polarization implies balance: Earth has two poles and that balances seasons; magnets have two poles and that balances energy.”
Pastor Schultz accused Democrats and others on the political left of compromising with Republicans because they are afraid of being labeled Democrats or progressives.
“The democratic party’s limp willingness to acquiesce to the increasingly extremist right speeds our slide into oligarchy and madness,” he wrote. “Our problem isn’t polarization. It’s compliance with cruelty.”
Schultz initially used an even more pointed word to describe the Democratic Party. He later removed “obsequious” from the post, but added in a comment: “I edited out the word ‘obsequious,’ but I’ll be darned if it isn’t a perfect fit.” So he really did not edit it out.
The broadside comes after Schultz ended his campaign July 17 and endorsed Hill, who is officially registered with the Federal Election Commission as an independent — not a Democrat. At the time, Schultz publicly complained about the “lack of meaningful support from Democratic institutions,” while saying that defeating Republican Rep. Nick Begich and returning the House to Democratic control was more important than his own candidacy. The Alaska Story reported on Schultz’s announcement at the time.
“Today, I am suspending my campaign and asking Alaskans to vote for Bill Hill in November,” Schultz said in July.
Although Schultz characterized the decision publicly as his own, the Democratic establishment quickly consolidated behind Hill. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has since placed the independent candidate in its “Red to Blue” program, which provides selected candidates with strategic guidance, staff resources, training and fundraising support. In fact, Schultz was pushed out because he was seen as too weak of a candidate.
Schultz’s latest comments suggest that his dissatisfaction with Democratic institutions did not end when he surrendered the field to Hill. They also reveal that Schultz believes the party’s problem is insufficient commitment to the political left—not that it has moved too far in that direction.
Schultz condemnation stands in tension with recent national polling showing increasing Democratic support for explicitly socialist organizations and policies. It also illustrates the ideological distance between Schultz and many Alaska voters, in a state that has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1968.
Political labels and party coalitions have changed considerably over several decades. John F. Kennedy would today be considered a moderate Republican, in his views at least.
Kennedy’s public emphasis on tax reductions, military strength and confronting communism differs markedly from the socialist language now embraced by a significant part of the Democratic electorate.
Schultz apparently sees the situation in reverse. By his account, Democrats have repeatedly retreated while Republicans have shifted the country’s political center to the right.
His Facebook post may also offer a glimpse into the resentment left behind by an Alaska House campaign in which the Democratic candidate was sidelined and the party ultimately embraced an independent as its vehicle for defeating Begich.
Here’s his exact Facebook post, after he removed “obsequious”:
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4 thoughts on “Matt Schultz turns fire on Democrats after stepping aside for independent Bill Hill to run under Democrat flag”
This is the same “pastor” who thinks unbridled abortion is the greater good. I wouldn’t characterize his sense of politics particularly “balanced” either.
Good one. If only we could be further Left, then there will be peace on earth, goodwill to men…..and universal misery and suffering. Can’t wait.
I want he’s smoking; or drinking; or WTH kind of a mind can think that 💩💩 up?
He shouldn’t have dropped out of the race, he was polling better than Hill when he did so. He very clearly does not believe his own words or his terrified limp willingness to acquiesce to others that are not as ideologically pure as himself wouldn’t have happened. This guy is scared of his own shadow and only lashes out now after having bowed out for others to take his place. We need more people on the left to tell us who they really are and what they really believe.