ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Republican Rep. Nick Begich is leading in the race for Alaska's lone U.S. House seat against independent challenger Bill Hill, following preliminary vote tallies Tuesday night. The final result in the race may not be known until mid-November, however.

In results reported just after 2 a.m. Wednesday, Begich had received 49.5% of the vote, or 105,353 votes, with more than 98% of precincts reporting. Hill had 40.3% of the vote.

Hill, a fisherman and retired educator from Southwest Alaska, said in a statement Wednesday that every vote from across Alaska counts.

"This campaign has always been about taking Alaska's sole U.S. House seat back from Nick Begich and the billionaires, and giving it to the hardworking people of Alaska," he said. "That's a fight worth fighting every day. Now, we owe it to every Alaskan from every part of our great state to ensure their vote is counted."

Tens of thousands of ballots remain to be counted. The ballots counted Tuesday night represent those cast on Election Day, and in early voting between Oct. 19 and Oct. 29.

If the top vote-getter does not receive more than 50% of first-choice votes, the election will be decided in a ranked choice tabulation scheduled for Nov. 18. The results are set to be certified on Nov. 25.

Eric Hafner, a Democrat who is a convicted felon and does not live in Alaska, received 7.3% of the vote. Jim McDermott, a Libertarian from Fairbanks, received 2.7% of the vote.

Begich is looking to serve his second term in office.

If he wins, he'll face a new environment in the House, after Democrats Tuesday night regained control of the chamber from the GOP for the first time in four years, amid a progressive wave that many see as a rebuke against the policies of Republican President Donald Trump.

Begich has touted his ability to work across party lines, but he has been a close ally of President Donald Trump, whose price-spiking Iran war and global trade conflict became a political liability for GOP candidates in the midterms.

But under the Republican-led House and presidency, Begich over the last two years has notched unique legislative accomplishments, including getting seven bills he sponsored signed into law, according to govtrack.us, a record for a freshman U.S. representative.

Begich on Tuesday night took the stage in the Hotel Captain Cook ballroom in downtown Anchorage not long after another batch of results were posted, which showed him overtaking Hill.

"We just had a really good ballot drop here a minute ago. We are cautiously optimistic," Begich said. "We're going to wait for these returns to come in."

He spoke for several minutes about his accomplishments during his last two years in office, highlighting his efforts to allow more drilling on federal lands in Alaska, and to bring a greater share of royalty income to Alaska from future oil and gas production on those lands, starting in 2034.

"We opened up ANWR. Gettin' that gas line. This is what delivering for Alaska looks like," Begich said to applause from the crowd. "For so many years, the federal government said, 'No, you can't develop your resources in your state.' But that's come to an end. Alaska's open, and it's going to stay that way."

Hill is running his first race for statewide office.

He has expressed support for expanding oil and gas development in Alaska along with renewable energy, attacked Begich over cuts to Medicaid in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and highlighted concerns about the economy and income inequality.

Initial results gave Hill a three-point lead, eliciting spontaneous cheers from a crowd of supporters packed into the SubZero Bistro & Microlounge in downtown Anchorage.

"I know that there are a lot of votes to come in," Hill said. "I am so very hopeful that Alaskans as a whole will rise up and speak to the people that are in power and say, 'We want a change.'"

In his speech to supporters, Hill railed against corrupt politicians and billionaires. As a newcomer to politics, Hill acknowledged his long odds at unseating the incumbent Begich.

"I was really worried that as a first-time candidate I was getting high on my own hope-ium supply," Hill said, joking with the crowd after the initial results showed him in the lead.

Hill has declined to say which party he would caucus with if he is elected, but he has been endorsed by the Alaska Democratic Party. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the national campaign arm for U.S. House Democrats, also threw its support behind Hill.

Begich had tried to paint Hill as a Democrat-in-hiding, and federal records show that Hill in recent years he has donated $100 each to Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris; independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who caucuses with Democrats; and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat.

More than $30 million raised

More than $30 million has been spent on the race by campaign committees and outside groups, according to the website OpenSecrets, which aggregates data from the Federal Election Commission.

The Begich campaign has outspent the Hill campaign, but Hill enjoyed significant support from Wheel Dog PAC, a group created to back Hill.

Begich reports raising $6.4 million in total receipts, and spending $4.8 million.

The Hill campaign reports raising $2.6 million, with spending of $2.5 million.

Wheel Dog PAC has also spent $5.7 million supporting Hill and $2.7 million opposing Begich, according to OpenSecrets.

Hafner, though he is incarcerated in New York and could not become Alaska's U.S. representative even if he won, has also been the subject of spending by outside groups designed to benefit Hill.

Wheel Dog PAC has spent more than $500,000 on ads opposing Eric Hafner, who is a Democrat and who could potentially pull votes from Hill.

The spending, which highlighted Hafner's status as a federal inmate, is part of a broader pattern in Alaska's congressional races with political action committees pouring millions of dollars into campaigns involving fringe candidates.

Federal law allows candidates to run for office in states where they do not reside, as long as they plan to establish residency in the state if elected. Hafner is not expected to be released from prison until 2036.

Hafner in 2024 won an Alaska Supreme Court battle to appear on the ballot for U.S. House that year, a move supported by Republicans.

The four candidates in Tuesday's general election had advanced from a field of 15 candidates in the August open primary.

On Tuesday, it was not clear how much Hill benefited from the departure of third-place primary finisher Matt Schultz, a Democrat and Anchorage pastor.

Schultz had received 8% of the primary vote but dropped out amid concerns about a lack of institutional support from the Democratic Party.

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