October 29, 2026, by John Fraser for the Folly

It was really busy when I dropped by Seward City Hall to cast an early vote. The Alaska Beacon reported that at the end of Tuesday, October 27, early voting is on pace to match the record-high numbers from 2024 when 22.7% of all voters were absentee or early voters.  https://alaskabeacon.com/2026/10/28/alaska-is-on-pace-to-match-2024s-record-high-early-voting-numbers/ But the final decision will still be made on election day next Tuesday, November 3, 2026. One of my neighbors, who is part of the 75 percent, declared that she prefers to make her decision on election day.

As the House and Senate races are coming to a close, our text messages, streaming platforms, and news feeds are awash with negative ads about every candidate. Facebook and Instagram are proving to be a frustrating cesspool of name-calling and unsubstantiated allegations of impropriety. Rather than feed the negativity, I reached out on behalf of the Seward Folly to all eight of the campaigns for the Senate and House seats to ask for a positive response about what they intend to do if elected on the six major issues we’ve been covering in this election season. Both the Peltola and Hill campaigns responded by our deadline. The other campaigns were given an extension but at writing had not responded to our questions.

Six Questions:

The six questions grew out of our reporting for the whole Seward area, from Lowell Point to the Y intersection, recent census estimates, Providence’s community wellbeing surveys and what we’re hearing from readers. Specifically, our acute housing shortage, high living costs, seasonal and low-wage employment, limited childcare, food insecurity, workforce shortages, inadequate transportation, restricted access to health and behavioral health services, declining school enrollment, and at-risk infrastructure. The problems feed each other. Workers cannot find year-round housing, which makes it harder for employers to hire, which keeps wages and hours seasonal, which pushes families toward leaving, which in turn shrinks school enrollment and strains services.

1. Housing: What specific federal initiatives would you support to expand affordable, year-round housing and address chronic homelessness and poverty in the greater Seward area?

2. Wages and cost of living: What federal policies would you pursue to improve wages, stabilize seasonal employment, and reduce the cost of essential household expenses in Alaska?

3. Childcare and education: What federal actions would you work on to expand affordable childcare, ensure adequate and predictable public-school funding, to reverse Seward schools’ declining quality of education and academic performance?

4. Health care: What would you do if elected to federal office to improve access to primary, specialty, mental health, and long-term care, particularly for lower-income rural residents and older adults?

5. Transportation: What transportation initiatives would you champion to support Seward residents, from Lowell Point to the Tern Lake Y, having access to jobs, medical care, childcare, and other essential services in Seward?

6. Infrastructure and economic resilience: What federal investments and policies would you prioritize to protect the Seward corridor from flooding, landslides, and other hazards while strengthening year-round employment and economic stability?

Why this matters to Seward

These pressures reach the whole community, but the heaviest burdens fall on lower-income families, seasonal and migrant workers, single parents, older adults, people with disabilities and residents who rely on public assistance. Many of the levers, including federal budgets, education priority-setting, Medicaid, housing finance and infrastructure spending, are the direct result of the budget and policy processes set by the Federal House and Senate, and the major agencies that have a presence in Seward’s workforce. Voters in a town like Seward have a direct interest in hearing how our representatives will represent our concerns in Congress.

Candidates for the Senate

Lacking answers from two of the other three campaigns, we looked at all campaign websites with an aim to treat each candidate equally.  We examined if they had any statements that could answer our six questions. The matrix presented here summarizes what each site says. It is a plain summary of public facing campaign statements on their websites, not a critical comparison or an analysis of how well any plan would work. Where a site is silent, we make that clear.

Question	Dan S. Sullivan, (Republican) (Incumbent) website summary	Mary Peltola (Democrat) verbatim response	Dan J. Sullivan (Independent) website summary
1. Housing	No content available on Sullivan’s  website addressing specific federal housing initiatives that would benefit Seward, nor does it mention year-round housing or chronic homelessness.	Alaska is losing our young people to outmigration, and it’s easy to see why – it’s gotten too expensive to build a life here. I will fight to build more housing Alaskans can afford, lower taxes, and increase wages to deliver relief for Alaska families and opportunity for the next generation of Alaskans. I’ll fight to create tax credits to bring down the cost of rent, protect and expand Indian Housing Block Grants to get more homes built, and crack down on the corporations pricing Alaskans out of housing.	Sullivan responded to the league of Women Voters questionnaire stating he supports federally assisted regulatory streamlining for manufactured and nontraditional homes, rural utility infrastructure, and low-interest loans for first-time and low-income homebuyers.
2. Wages and household costs	Sullivan’s main website states that he supports tax cuts to lower household costs. He also says he is committed to expanded Alaska energy development. His campaign highlights tax relief on tips and overtime and advocates increasing domestic energy production to reduce fuel prices.	Everywhere I go in Alaska, I hear the same thing: we are getting crushed by rising prices on groceries, gas, healthcare, and housing. I’ll fight to increase wages by rewarding companies that pay workers well and charging more to the ones that don’t. My number one priority will be bringing down household costs for Alaska families and restoring abundance, that means eliminating income taxes for Alaskans making less than $92,000 per year, lowering shipping costs with an Essential Freight Service, passing a $3,600 tax credit for parents raising kids, and standing up to corporate greed to bring down grocery costs.	The challenger to the incumbent identifies high household costs, including energy, groceries, medical care and travel, as major concerns. He criticizes tariffs that cause shortages or price increases, but has no specific proposal addressing seasonal employment in Seward.
3. Childcare and schools	No content available on the website addressing affordable childcare or a specific plan to reverse declining academic performance in Seward schools. His campaign reports support for the Secure Rural Schools program, which provides funding to communities, including Juneau.	Every cut to Alaska’s education system leads to crowded classrooms, fewer teachers, and more kids being left behind. As a mom of seven, I’ll always fight for the federal support our teachers need and never stop standing up for our kids. I’ll cut red tape and expand grants, loans, and tax credits to make it easier to open a childcare business in Alaska, to increase safe and affordable options for parents.	Again, in response to another questionnaire, this candidate says education is one of the country’s most important investments and draws on his experience as an elementary school teacher. He does not provide any specific federal proposals that he would advance for childcare, predictable school funding or school performance.
4. Health care	The incumbent’s website states that he supports strengthening Alaska’s health care system and protecting access to affordable care. His campaign cites federal investments in Alaska health care but does not provide a specific plan for specialty, mental health or long-term care.	DC cuts to Medicaid and critical ACA tax credits have spiked Alaskans’ costs, forced Alaskans to lose care, and weakened our healthcare system. I’ll work to reverse these harmful cuts, restore the ACA tax credits to help bring down healthcare costs for Alaskans, and expand access to affordable long-term care and mental healthcare.	Again, we return to another questionnaire where the independent candidate states that he opposes federal Medicaid work requirements, citing burdens on seasonal workers and rural residents and potential financial strain on small-town clinics and hospitals. He does not offer a detailed plan for specialty care or long-term care.
5. Transportation	The candidate’s campaign materials describe federal support for infrastructure projects, including transportation improvements and port infrastructure in Juneau. He does not get into a specific proposal addressing access to jobs, medical care or childcare.	No matter what, I will keep listening to what our communities need and I will fight to ensure every single Alaskan has access to good jobs, quality healthcare, and affordable childcare. I’ll fight for innovative solutions and infrastructure investments to ensure that our communities are connected to the services they need. And I’ll invest in solutions that make our infrastructure more resilient and fight for rapid relief when disaster strikes.	We were unable to locate a specific statement regarding transportation for this candidate.
6. Infrastructure and resilience	The campaign website says that the candidate supports Alaska resource development, infrastructure investment and job creation. His campaign cites work on flood assistance and mitigation in Juneau, but does not publish a specific plan that would address Seward-area risks.	Alaska has unique infrastructure needs, and we need a fighter in the Senate who can work across the aisle to bring home the pork. I’ll fight to secure full funding when disaster strikes, work to fully fund FEMA and I’ll fight tooth and nail for the funding we need to update aging infrastructure, rebuild after natural disasters, and make our communities more resilient.	This candidate advocates sustainable resource development that balances economic needs with long-term environmental health. But he offers no specific federal proposals to advance area flood protection, landslide mitigation or year-round economic resilience.

Where the campaigns overlap

All three candidates claim they are concerned with Alaska’s cost of living and access to essential services, particularly housing and health care. They differ, however, on the legislative solutions to these challenges.  All three candidates also identify economic pressures on Alaskans as a concern they will address through their elected role. Each has a different perspective on the best solution and how they would achieve their goals when serving in the Senate. There is a strong policy overlap between the incumbent Dan Sullivan and Mary Peltola in goals to support Alaska energy development and permitting reform.

Read the campaigns in their own words:

Dan S. Sullivan (Republican) (Incumbent): https://dansullivanforalaska.com/

Mary Peltola (Democrat): https://marypeltola.com/priorities/

Dan J. Sullivan (Independent/Undeclared): https://www.sullivanforsenate.com/

Gerald Heikes (Republican): Candidate Heikes did not have a working email address to contact his campaign. He has declared two positions, proposed a federal loan to expand Alaska’s road network, including connections from Fairbanks toward Nome and Bethel, and opposes abortion in any circumstance. We have omitted him from our analysis since the only website supporting his campaign is paid for by a third party and is not considered an official site. It is silent on the emerging issues in Seward other than his interest in expanding the road system.

Candidates for the House of Representatives:

We sent the same questions to the candidates for the House of Representatives seat. Only Bill Hill responded by press time so we provide the same grid summary of what the Begich and McDermott websites offer as answers to our questions, alongside the verbatim responses from Hill.

Issue	Nick Begich (Republican) prior statements	Bill Hill (Independent) Verbatim Response	Jim McDermott (Libertarian) website analysis
1. Housing	Begich supports improving access to land and infrastructure to enable more housing. He cites work on legislation supporting housing and infrastructure in Alaska Native communities. None of the content on his website seems to address the Seward-specific affordable housing or challenges facing the housing insecure or unhoused community.	Simply put, Alaska needs more homes more people can afford. I will vote against the tariffs that are raising the cost of steel and lumber and shipping, making it even more expensive to develop homes in Alaska. I support cutting red tape at the federal level that prohibits housing development at the local level. I support expanding housing tax credits to encourage housing development.	No content available on McDermott’s website
2. Wages and cost of living	Begich supports tax relief on tips and overtime, domestic energy production, and resource development. He claims to support stronger supply chains and infrastructure to lower household costs and create jobs.	We need to get costs under control. I will vote against the Iran War that’s driving up our gas prices. I will vote against the haphazard tariffs that are raising the price of groceries and gas. I will vote against the healthcare cuts that are sending premiums skyrocketing. When it comes to good wages, the federal government has a role to play in encouraging new projects in Alaska that bring good jobs for Alaskans. Let’s build the gasline, let’s bring back alternative energy projects that have been cut, and let’s make sure these projects put Alaskans to work with good wages.	McDermott opposes tariffs, saying these recent taxes are resulting in Alaska paying more for everyday goods and excessive increases in the cost of living.
3. Childcare and education	No content available on the website specifying federal childcare policy or school funding and academic performance.	I served as a teacher, principal, and superintendent for 25 years in Alaska, in communities large and small. The reality is that we have a federal government that prioritizes billionaire tax breaks and billion-dollar foreign wars over investing in our nation’s schools. It’s not that our federal government doesn’t have any funding for schools, it’s that our federal government isn’t prioritizing our schools. In Congress, I will fight for investment in Alaska’s public schools, as well as investment in childcare and Head Start.	No content available on McDermott’s website.
4. Health care	Begich says he supports expanding rural health access through telemedicine, mobile clinics, provider recruitment and retention, and technology. Begich supports lowering insurance premiums and strengthening youth suicide prevention and mental health services.	Thousands of Alaskans have lost their healthcare over the past two years because of decisions made in DC. Thousands more have seen their premiums double. In Congress, I will vote to protect Medicaid and Medicare. I will vote to restore the ACA tax credits that have helped lower costs for Alaskans. I will fight to lower drug prices and hold Big Pharma accountable.	McDermott supports work visa liberalization to address shortages in healthcare positions and other skilled labor issues.
5. Transportation	Begich supports federal investment in roads, ports, airports, rail, tunnels and the Alaska Marine Highway System. His platform emphasizes connections between communities, safer transport and lower goods costs.	In Congress, I will prioritize getting a seat on the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, which impacts our roads, airports, and waterways. Growing up in Kokhanok, a village of 100 people, I know that transportation and infrastructure directly impact our way of life and the costs we pay here in Alaska, especially off the road system. I will start by prioritizing a seat on the Committee, and will do whatever is in my power to listen to Alaskans about the transportation and infrastructure needs of their communities, and then bring those projects to our state.	No content available on McDermott’s website
6. Infrastructure and economic resilience	Begich supports infrastructure investment, coastal protection, ports and harbors, resource development, and federal permitting reform. His platform discusses safer, more resilient infrastructure but also does not discuss flood or landslide mitigation strategies for high-risk communities.	Too often, a natural disaster results in a political photo op, followed by the federal government shirking its responsibility and failing to make communities whole. We need timely federal response and on-time disaster relief payments. We also need to do everything we can to prevent disasters from occurring in the first place. That means investing in climate resilience across the state – from permafrost-stabilized infrastructure to flood barriers to wildfire mitigation.	McDermott declares on his website that his policies are shaped by one principle: smaller government makes for better lives. His website does not address incentive-based legislation but raises concerns about the expansion of surveillance as an emerging infrastructure risk in the state.

What the comparison shows

• Begich publishes the most extensive infrastructure and resource-development agenda, including rural health care and transportation investment.
• Hill provides specific proposals on housing affordability, health care coverage, schools, workforce training and lowering household costs.
• McDermott has a limited government policy platform declaring a principle of smaller government and fiscal responsibility. His positions on these six questions cannot be established from that source, but does present his guiding principles for limiting government.

Read the campaigns in their own words:

Nick Begich (R): https://www.alaskansfornickbegich.com/

Bill Hill (I): https://billhillforalaskans.com/

Jim McDermott (L): https://jamesmcdermott.org/

Eric Hafner: Four candidates are on the ballot for Alaska’s U.S. House seat, including Eric Hafner, who is incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution in Otisville, New York. In May 2022, Hafner pled guilty to three federal felonies: (1) Threatening communications with intent to extort, (2) Threatening communications in interstate commerce, and (3) Conveying false information about an explosive device. On December 7, 2023, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. On February 27, 2026, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals upheld his sentence and denied his attempt to withdraw his guilty plea. Although a felony conviction does not itself bar congressional service, the Constitution requires House members to be inhabitants of the state they represent when elected. Hafner’s candidate filing lists his pre-incarceration South Dakota address, and there is no documented evidence of an Alaska domicile. Incarceration does not permit a person to establish a new domicile merely by declaring an address in another state; domicile depends on actual circumstances and intent, and an incarcerated person generally retains their prior domicile absent evidence establishing a change. Hafner provided no response to our request for candidate comments and has no identifiable campaign website or policy platform. Given his lack of demonstrated Alaska domicile and the absence of responses or policy materials for voters to evaluate, we omitted him from this reporting.

Note: The journalist used AI to support brevity in editing and identification of original source material for the analysis. All synthesis was done by hand and verified directly with original source material.