Alaska voters will see another high‑profile contribution in the race for the state’s at‑large U.S. House seat. Independent candidate Bill Hill, who is challenging Republican incumbent Rep. Nick Begich III, received a $7,000 donation – the maximum allowed by federal law – from California billionaire Elizabeth “Liz” Simons of Atherton.
Who is Liz Simons?
Simons is an heir to the Renaissance Technologies fortune and chairs the Heising‑Simons Foundation. In August 2025 she gave $250,000 to New Yorkers for Lower Costs, the independent committee that spent heavily to elect Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York City. That contribution was one of the three largest individual gifts to the super PAC, alongside donations from Omer Hasan and Mohammad Javed.
Same donor, different races
Federal election law bars super PACs from giving directly to candidate committees, so the money Simons gave to the New York mayoral super PAC could not have flowed to Hill’s campaign. Nonetheless, the same philanthropist chose to support two very different races – a progressive mayoral campaign in New York and an independent congressional bid in Alaska.
Hill’s platform and fundraising profile
Hill’s campaign platform calls for “taxing the 1%,” extending taxes to S‑corps like C‑corps, and making “billionaires and mega‑corporations pay their share.” In a March op‑ed, he accused Rep. Begich of “jacking up our health insurance prices to pay for massive tax breaks for billionaires.” Despite his criticism of wealthy donors, Hill’s itemized contributions show a significant out‑of‑state component. The Alaska Beacon reported additional large gifts from New York investors Dirk Ziff and Michael Novogratz. Roughly three‑quarters of Hill’s donations come from outside Alaska.
Response from the campaign
When asked for comment, Hill’s campaign supplied a statement: “I welcome the support from anyone in any party who wants to see better representation for Alaska. This is a big tent coalition that includes independents, Democrats, and Republicans who agree we need to see a change.”
National Democratic support
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) placed Hill in its Red‑to‑Blue program, and House Majority PAC launched advertisements backing his candidacy. These endorsements signal that national Democratic operatives see Hill as a viable challenger to Begich.
What voters should consider
The key question for Alaskans is whether Hill’s coalition – bolstered by out‑of‑state donors and national Democratic backing – will advance policies that align with Alaska’s unique economic and cultural interests, or whether the influence of donors from places like New York and California will steer the state toward policies that have little relevance to Alaskans.
While the shared donor does not automatically make Hill a socialist, it does suggest that influential progressive financiers view his campaign as compatible with the agenda they supported in New York. Voters must decide if that connection matters in a race that could reshape Alaska’s representation in Washington.
Original reporting: Must Read Alaska (Anchorage) — read the source article.
