Editor’s note: This story is corrected throughout to remove the information that was associated with a different John Williams.
The Alaska Democratic Party now has its first declared candidate for the state’s sole US House seat on the 2026 ballot. At 10 pm on July 2, John Brendan Williams officially filed with the Federal Election Commission to run as a Democrat.
Alaska’s 2026 primary election is scheduled for Aug. 18, 2026, where all candidates, regardless of party, will appear on a single jungle primary ballot. The top four vote-getters will advance to the ranked choice general election in November.
Williams is the first Democrat to formally challenge incumbent Congressman Nick Begich III. In February he was registered as an “Undeclared” voter. He has made no formal announcement but has filed with both the Federal Election Commission and the Alaska Division of Elections.
During the last election cycle, Democrats had two candidate — Mary Peltola, the incumbent, and Eric Hefner, a felon who was serving time in prison out of state and who had never stepped foot in Alaska.
