April 13th, 2026 Len’s Political Note #804 Matt Schultz Alaska At Large
2026 Primary and General Election
Matt Schultz’ mother was a nun. His father was a priest. When they married, they were excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church. After their son, Matt, was born in New York City, they settled in Stephentown, New York, population less than 3,000 people. That uniquely named town is in the New York Berkshires. The closest city to Stephentown is Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
Matt Schultz left home for the Presbyterian affiliated Westminster college in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania which has a population that is slightly more than 2,000 people and is almost as close to the Ohio border as Stephentown is to Massachusetts.
Matt Schultz’s parents may have left the Roman Catholic Church, but they did not leave Christianity. Matt Schultz was raised to be a religious man. His father died in 1995; his mother remains a religious leader, conducting services and offering sermons at Stephentown’s Federated Church.
Matt Schultz married Elizabeth, a girl from Alaska and followed her home. They left Alaska so they both could study at Princeton Theological Seminary where he and Elizabeth earned Divinity Degrees and Matt earned a Master’s in Youth Ministry. He served as an Associate Pastor in Watertown, New York and they served together as co-pastors of youth ministry in Princeton. In 2013, they returned to Anchorage where Matt Schultz became the pastor at Anchorage’s First Presbyterian Church in the city that would be home for both of them and for their three children.
In Anchorage, Matt Schultz has had two pulpits. He is the pastor for Anchorage’s First Presbyterian Church and a columnist for the Anchorage Daily News. He explains that he was encouraged to have an interest in government and politics by a high school teacher and was moved to consider a run for office by the plight of so many poverty-stricken parishioners. He is also distinguished for his visits to the lower 48 that have covered enough ground so that he can proudly claim to have spent some time in every one of the 50 states.
An article in the Anchorage Daily Beacon about Matt Schultz’s announcement describes where he stands vis a vis the incumbent Congressman:
“In regular opinion columns and letters submitted to the Anchorage Daily News, Schultz has espoused a progressive Christian viewpoint, with support for LGBTQ Alaskans, higher minimum wages and improved government-backed healthcare.
Begich, elected in 2024, has been a reliable vote for President Donald Trump, including on Trump’s signature budget proposal, which reduced federal services and increased federal tax breaks, particularly for wealthy Americans.
The Congressional Budget Office expects the proposal to significantly increase the federal debt, something Begich doubts.
Schultz said he felt the budget “really just put the hammer on people who are working hard to get by,” and he hasn’t been happy with [incumbent Republican Nick] Begich’s decision to eschew town hall meetings to discuss his vote.
“I don’t know how it’s possible to be a representative that doesn’t show up for things like town halls and to listen to the people’s concerns, so I will definitely be doing that as much as possible,” Schultz said.”
Alaska has a distinctive electoral system. Like California, Alaska has a non-partisan primary. Instead of choosing a run off between the top two vote getters, Alaska has a ranked choice selection from among the top four primary vote getters. As a result, predicting winners in Alaska is more difficult than in most states. DONATE to Matt Schultz. Return Alaska’s At Large Congressional seat that Mary Peltola held to a Democrat.
Two more races in Alaska
US Senate: Former Congresswoman Mary Peltola vs Incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan. DONATE to Mary Peltola in this race which is crucial for which party controls the Senate. See Len’s Political Note #785
Governor: For this open seat, three Democrats are running – Ex State Sen. Tom Begich, State Sen Matt Claman, and Ex State Rep Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins. As best I can tell, eleven Republicans are running.
Congressional and Senate races in the Northwest
Idaho US Senate: Independent Entrepreneur Todd Achilles is challenging 82 year old incumbent Jim Risch. The Democrat is a frequent candidate. DONATE to Todd Achilles.
Montana US Senate: Independent former President of the University of Montana Seth Bodnar is challenging Kurt Alme for whom the incumbent Republican Senator arranged a switcheroo for the Republican nomination. The Democrats in the race have raised very little money. DONATE to Seth Bodnar. See Len’s Political Note #797
Montana 01: Four interesting Democratic candidates are competing to fill this open seat from which Republican incumbent Ryan Zinke has fled. The primary is on June 2.
South Dakota US Senate. Independent former Lt. Colonel Brian Bengs is challenging incumbent Republican Mike Rounds. There is at least one Democrat in the race. DONATE to Brian Bengs. See Len’s Political Note #774
