By SUZANNE DOWNING
April 1, 2026 – Matthew “Bronco” Williams, an Anchorage private school teacher and former Democrat, has announced he is running as an independent for Alaska’s one seat in the US House of Representatives in 2026.
Williams, 28, previously ran as a Democrat for the Mississippi state House in 2019 at age 21 and later sought a US House seat in Mississippi in 2024. He recently moved to Anchorage.
Williams teaches math and science at Anchor Lutheran School in Anchorage. His campaign website states he studied theater in Mississippi and later pursued education studies at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He has also said he has published writing under the name “Bronco Williams.”
According to biographical information he provided during his Mississippi campaign, Williams was born in Germantown, Tenn., and grew up near Hernando, Miss. He earned an associate degree in theatre from Northwest Mississippi Community College in 2019 and later studied creative writing and journalism at Arkansas State University on a pre-law track.
His professional background includes work as an educator, actor, journalist, cybersecurity consultant, and software developer. He has taught in public, private, and homeschool settings and previously worked as a substitute teacher in Mississippi.
Williams’ campaign priorities from his past races include what he describes as “healing the economy,” improving education, and protecting the environment. In earlier campaign statements, he characterized himself as an anti-corruption and anti-establishment candidate focused on representing “regular Americans” and promoting cooperation across political divides.
He wrote on a Ballotpedia questionnaire, “What we have doesn’t work anymore — We need Something Different.”
The race for Alaska’s at-large US House seat has Democrat Matt Schultz, an Anchorage pastor, and no-party Bill Hill, a former superintendent of the Bristol Bay School District. Also, Gerald L. Heikes, a Republican from Palmer, and John Williams, a Democrat from Fairbanks are in the race. There are now two people with the last name “Williams” running for the seat.
Incumbent Rep. Nick Begich III, a Republican, unseated Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola in 2024 and is running for a second term and has a tremendous campaign advantage, polling strongly and having raised over $3.2 million to get his message out to Alaskans.
Editor’s note: This is not an April Fools joke.
16 thoughts on “‘Something different’ teacher launches independent bid for Alaska’s US House seat”
Yeah, that’s what we need, a congressman that has lived in Alaska for 5 minutes.
Most normal people would be embarrassed by displaying the gross arrogance in moving to a new state and immediately claiming to be the “solution” to that state’s political battles.
I mean, it didn’t slow Hillary down. And the voters of New York bought it.
Well Andrew, Hillary already had a name and a husband, a former president no less. Those hoity-toity elitists in NY recognized her as one of their own and she was anointed. Mr. Actor, Teacher, Journalist, Cyberguy etc. does not have that cache, so I am with Jefferson in his analysis.
See my example of warning the private schools are the next place teachers who’d be coming from a public school would go next for a job. The Anchor Lutheran School is hardly a Christian school. Anchorage’s Lutheran congregations they are so liberal they gone so Luke warm they are no longer Christian following Christ, and their declining attendance is proof of that they are no longer following God.
The Christian Private Schools they need to know God’s Word to know who is genuinely following Christ and who is a grifter after the riches only and would rather teach in a classroom where the students are “better” behaved than the peers in a public school classroom.
Tina, you write as if public school teachers are higher quality than private school teacher; as if public teacher that wash out go to private teaching. The inverse is true. Public teachers exist in an environment of no standards. They are only in it for the unionized grifting of taxpayer money at bloated rates for no results. Private teachers are necessarily motivated by a mission other than money and fat benefits.
Another in a VERY long line of radical leftist carpetbaggers trying (and often managing) to seize power in Alaska and transforming (degrading) the political environment in this state. I am SICK of these carpetbagging political predators!
Yet ANOTHER in a long line of radical leftist carpetbaggers, moving to Alaska and immediately trying (and often managing) to seize power and transform (degrade) the political environment in this state. I am SICK of these predatory political predators already!
Bronco! Yeah, I used to have one. The Ford, not the horse. This guy looks like a drifter who stepped into a time machine, from about 1968. Did he hitch-hike to Alaska, or drive an old VW van with a war protester girlfriend. Or maybe he’s gay. He has credentials to be a public school teacher somewhere out near Bethel.
Thanks, but no thanks. We already have a congressman……named Nick Begich.
Of course he runs as independent…. to conceal the fact he is a Democrat.
…. an overused tactic everyone sees as blindingly obvious at this point.
I guess he learned from what’s-her-face Jennie Armstrong, that you have a residency requirement for state office, so he goes right to the big league….please.
It also means he is very un-serious about his current teaching job, since he is already seeking other employment.
I interpret the “we need something different” as “communism is better”. Having seen socialism/communism, I beg to differ.
One should ask him how he would “heal” the economy. I bet the answer would be illuminating, if nothing else.
Just what we need another rubber-stamping kumbaya liberal with no plan or any idea about the needs of the state. No thank you!
Old face of the Democrat Party. Bait for the LGBTQ movement? Or, a future job with the state teachers union?
He’s good for a half dozen or so votes. Heavy pot smokers would be fooled.
Charlie Manson in his youth. Can he sing?
I love the editor’s note at the end of the article!
At least this guy isn’t in prison like the Democrat who made it to the general election in 24.