ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, was in Palmer Friday to rally behind Nick Begich, R-Alaska, but the event had its doors, or more accurately its hangar bay, closed to the public and the press.
“It’s an honor to have Speaker Johnson in Alaska supporting our reelection campaign,” Begich said in a statement to Alaska’s News Source.
“Our GOP House majority has worked hard to promote common sense policies that grow our economy. With the Speaker’s support, I look forward to earning a second term in Congress so we can keep delivering for Alaskans.”
Outside the hangar hosting Congress’s top Republican, protesters call for change and sling insults at those walking into the event.
“Mike Johnson is an obstructionist in the House, and we want to make sure that our voices are heard,” Connie Harris, a Mat-Su resident, told Alaska’s News Source over the chants from protesters.
Alaska’s News Source requested to be at the event, which was denied because the event was “closed press,” campaign spokesperson Paul Smith said. Smith did not respond when asked why media was barred from the event.
Walking into the event, Rick Morgan said he was looking forward to hearing about what’s happening in the race for Congress.
“I think it shows not only that Congress is behind him, [but] that he’s actually being very effective in office. The speaker coming here to help him. I think [it] says a lot.”
Rep. Kevin McCabe, R-Big Lake, was one of several Republican lawmakers and candidates seen walking into the event. He said having Johnson rally behind Begich sends a positive message to the state.
When it comes to the November election, he said its outcome would be “interesting.”
“We are very divided as a country and we need to find a way to maybe focus less on personalities and more on issues,” McCabe said. In front of him were protesters holding signs referencing the Epstein files and yelling “shame!”
“It’s unfortunate that we’ve got to this point where you hear the protesters [yelling] ‘pedophiles’ and all that kind of stuff,” he added. “That their first amendment right … [but] it’s a shame it has to be reduced to insults.”
As protesters yelled “you vote for pedophiles” and “Nick and Mike take a hike,” Dave Musgrave, a Democrat, said the message they wanted to send to Begich and Johnson wasn’t related to the Epstein Files.
“I don’t think that’s the issue, I think it’s affordability,” Musgrave said. “I think hard-working Alaskans deserve a break. We see with the tariffs and the war on Iran that he’s undermining all economics and affordability throughout the U.S. and in Alaska especially.”
Also among the chants: “Hill yeah!”
“This is news to me,” Hill told Alaska’s News Source over a video call while he was in Metlakatla. “I hadn’t heard that. I think that it just shows that Alaskans are fed up with the way that politics are being done and the way that Nick Begich is voting against our interests.”
To Hill, Johnson’s closed-door rally sends a different message than one Republicans want to be sending: fear.
“I think it just shows that the race is probably a lot tighter than people expected for a non-incumbent,” he said. “Our polling shows that we’re within the margin of error in a head-to-head race with myself and Nick Begich and I think that’s just showing up in their actions.”
The poll Hill mentioned was from February and conducted by Democrat-aligned Public Policy Polling. That poll found him within the margin of error to beat Begich, with the incumbent earning 45% to Hill’s 40%.
Polling conducted before Matt Schultz dropped out of the race showed Begich with a comfortable lead.
“Harris said she would have voted for Schultz and couldn’t remember Hill’s name off the top of her head but ultimately decided he was her pick.
“I think my top message to every voter is that our campaign is working to represent every Alaskan from every walk of life,” Hill said when asked what the message was to voters like Connie Harris, now backing his ticket.
“I really appreciate what Matt Schultz did, stepping out of the race so that it could be a head-to-head between Nick Begich and myself, and I do appreciate his supporters who’ve come on to help support my campaign.
“But really, this campaign is about all Alaskans.
“We need a really broad coalition that shows Washington, D.C. that we’re sick of business as usual, and that we want a real, hard-working Alaskan in that seat, and that we’re going to step up and we’re going to make it happen.”
Early voting has begun in the state, and election day is on Aug. 18. Voters will select one candidate in the primary and the top four advance to November’s ranked-choice general election.
See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com
Copyright 2026 KTUU. All rights reserved.