By SUZANNE DOWNING
July 8, 2026 – As Alaska’s crowded Democratic race for the state’s lone US House seat enters a more competitive phase, a new campaign ad from candidate Matt Schultz is of interest — not because of what Schultz says, but because of who appears beside him.
With just 26 days until early voting begins in Alaska, the new Schultz video features Alaska Democratic Party Chair Eric Croft applauding and nodding as Schultz speaks. Croft never explicitly says he is endorsing Schultz, but his appearance in a campaign advertisement sends a signal that many political observers would interpret as support.
Party chairs traditionally avoid publicly favoring one candidate over another in contested primaries, focusing instead on building the party, registering voters, and preparing for the general election. This year’s Democratic primary includes three other registered Democrats, as well as liberal nonpartisan candidate Bill Hill, who is competing for the same voters.
Appearing in a candidate’s campaign advertisement, particularly in a favorable context, is widely understood as a public declaration of confidence in that candidate.
Schultz and Hill are seeking to unseat Republican Congressman Nick Begich III.
Hill has built his campaign around a coalition that includes organized labor while running without the Democratic Party label. Croft’s appearance in Schultz’s ad, however, suggests the party’s leadership is rallying behind one of its own rather than remaining publicly neutral during the primary.
For Democratic voters, that holds power. After all, the party has already demonstrated with former Congresswoman Mary Peltola that it believes it can win statewide elections with a strong hard-left brand. Schultz embraces the party’s platform, which includes a ban on oil and gas production in Alaska, while Hill has chosen a nonpartisan banner despite holding positions that mimic Democratic priorities.
Schultz, who continues to campaign using the title “Rev. Matt Schultz,” serves as pastor of a progressive downtown Anchorage church. His platform includes support for abortion rights without restrictions, LGBTQ parenthood, socialized medicine, and other positions aligned with the Democratic Party’s progressive wing.
The contrast between the two campaigns is reflected in their endorsements.
Hill has assembled a broad coalition of organized labor support, including endorsements from the Alaska Professional Fire Fighters, the National Education Association, Plumbers and Steamfitters, Iron Workers, Carpenters, United Auto Workers Region 6, UFCW Local 1496, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, and the Alaska Public Employees Association/AFT. He has also earned support from organizations such as The Alaska Center, End Citizens United, and the Working Class Heroes Fund, along with several legislators, including House Speaker Bryce Edgmon and Sens. Donny Olson and Lyman Hoffman.
Schultz, meanwhile, has attracted much of the Democratic Party establishment. His endorsement list includes former Gov. Tony Knowles, former Lt. Gov. Fran Ulmer, Sens. Forrest Dunbar and Elvi Gray-Jackson, Reps. Alyse Galvin, Ashley Carrick, Sara Hannan, Andrew Josephson, Andrew Gray, Genevieve Mina, Carolyn Hall, and other current and former Democratic legislators. He has also earned the backing of Democratic figures including Tom Begich, former Acting Anchorage Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson, former Anchorage Assembly members Daniel Volland, Yarrow Silvers, and Felix Rivera, as well as former legislators Hollis French and Ivy Spohnholz.
The endorsement lists illustrate two different centers of influence within Alaska’s political left. Hill has consolidated labor support and endorsements from several bipartisan and rural legislators. Schultz has consolidated much of the Democratic Party’s elected leadership and institutional support.
Croft’s appearance in Schultz’s advertisement reinforces that distinction. The Alaska Democratic Party chair is not appearing in campaign advertisements for Hill or any of the other Democratic candidates in the race. For a party leader who would typically remain publicly neutral during the primary, the visual endorsement stands out.
With early voting less than four weeks away, Schultz’s latest campaign spot may be remembered as more than another campaign commercial. It also serves as one of the clearest public signals yet that Alaska’s Democratic leadership has largely united behind his candidacy, even as Hill continues to make his case to many of the same voters from outside the party label.
