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Mark Begich

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Mark Begich
United States Senator
from Alaska
Assumed office
January 3, 2009
Serving with Lisa Murkowski
Preceded byTed Stevens
Mayor of Anchorage, Alaska
In office
July 1, 2003 – January 3, 2009
Preceded byGeorge Wuerch
Succeeded byMatt Claman
Member of the Anchorage Assembly
In office
October 1988 – April 1998
Preceded byWray E. "Brad" Bradley
Succeeded byMelinda Taylor
Personal details
Born (1962-03-30) March 30, 1962 (age 62)
Anchorage, Alaska
NationalityAmerican
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseDeborah Bonito
Relationsson of U.S. Representative Nick Begich (1932-1972)
ChildrenJacob Begich
ResidenceAnchorage, Alaska
Alma materSteller Secondary School

Mark Peter Begich[1] (Template:Pron-en; born March 30, 1962) is the junior United States Senator from Alaska and a member of the Democratic Party. A former mayor of Anchorage, he served on the Anchorage Assembly for almost ten years prior to being elected mayor in 2003. In the highly competitive 2008 Alaska Senate election, Begich defeated incumbent Ted Stevens, the longest serving Republican member of the Senate of all time.[2]

Early life, education and career

Begich was born in Anchorage at the old Providence Hospital, and is the first person born in Anchorage to be elected as the city's mayor. He is the son of former U.S. Representative Nick Begich, who disappeared in October 1972 during a flight from Anchorage to Juneau with then House Majority Leader Hale Boggs, also a Democrat.[3] The fourth child of six born to Nick and Pegge Begich; he has two sisters and three brothers. His Croatian paternal grandfather John Begich immigrated to the United States from Austria–Hungary in 1911.[4] He attended Steller Secondary School in Anchorage. Begich has taken continuing education classes at University of Alaska Anchorage without graduating.[5] Begich is the only U.S. Senator without a college degree[citation needed].

Early political career

Begich as mayor of Anchorage.

Begich was elected to the Anchorage Assembly in 1988, at age 26, and served until 1998, including three years as chairman and two as vice chairman. In 1989, Begich led the opposition to the sale of the municipally-owned Anchorage Telephone Utility (ATU) to private interests. ATU was eventually sold in 1999 (after Begich had left the Assembly). Begich was also one of the chief sponsors of the introduction of photo radar.

Begich served for a number of years on the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education, including as its chair. In 2001, Governor Tony Knowles appointed Begich to the University of Alaska Board of Regents, but the Legislature did not confirm the appointment.[6]

He ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 1994 against Rick Mystrom, and in 2000 against then-Assemblyman George Wuerch. In the 2003 mayoral race he narrowly defeated both Mystrom and Wuerch, earning only 11 votes over the number needed to win, due to a simultaneously approved law increasing the threshold needed to avoid a runoff election from 40 to 45 percent. He was re-elected in April 2006, winning against local advertising and radio personality Jack Frost. Though the office is officially nonpartisan, Begich is the first Democrat to be elected Mayor of the Municipality of Anchorage since Tony Knowles, who was later elected to two terms as Governor of Alaska.

Begich is a former member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition.[7] His split from the mayor's group was well-publicized.[8]

U.S. Senate

Committee assignments

Begich's political views are considered to be moderate.[9] He is a member of the Moderate Dems Working Group. He is in favor of ANWR drilling and a supporter of gun rights. He is pro-choice, supports benefits for same-sex couples (though it is unclear if he supports same-sex marriage), opposes the Patriot Act, and claims to "generally" oppose the death penalty while acknowledging to sometimes "evolve on that issue".[10] Begich supported President Barack Obama's health reform legislation; he voted for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in December 2009,[11] and he voted for the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.[12] Begich became the Chairman of the Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee in 2011. On December 18, 2010, Begich voted in favor of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010.[13][14]

Political campaigns

2008 United States Senate campaign

Begich campaigning at Pioneer Park in Fairbanks during the 2008 campaign.
Main article: United States Senate election in Alaska, 2008

On February 27, 2008, Begich announced that he was forming an exploratory committee to run for the United States Senate.[15] After winning the Democratic nomination, he went on to face Republican incumbent Ted Stevens in the general election. The polls showed the race to be leaning for Begich due to Stevens' indictment and later felony convictions.[16][17][18][19] On November 18, 2008, the Associated Press called the election for Begich,[20] who was leading and likely to win by more than the 0.5% margin needed to trigger an automatic recount, with the remainder of uncounted ballots originating from the Anchorage area.[21] Stevens conceded the race the next day.[22]

Begich's victory over Stevens in the 2008 Senate elections made him the first Democrat to represent Alaska in either chamber of the United States Congress since Mike Gravel, who was defeated in the Democratic primary in 1980 and left the Senate in 1981 upon the expiration of his term. Begich is the first Croatian-American elected to the United States Senate. He is also the first Mayor of Anchorage to be elected to the Senate. Begich's father, Nick Begich, was the last Democrat to represent Alaska in the U.S. House of Representatives, which he did until he was declared legally dead at the end of 1972, following his disappearance along with Boggs earlier that year.

Stevens's conviction was later set aside due to prosecutorial misconduct. Alaska Republican Party chairman Randy Ruedrich issued a call for Begich to resign so a special election could be held. Ruedrich argued that Begich's win was illegitimate because of "improper influence from the 'corrupt' Department of Justice." The same day Governor Sarah Palin seconded Ruedrich's call, although she later denied having said Begich should resign.[23] Begich said in a statement that he intends to serve his full six-year term.[24]

Electoral history

Anchorage Assembly

Anchorage Assembly, Seat H 1995

  • Mark Begich, 51%
  • Steven Fowler, 41%
  • Edward Robbins, 5%

Anchorage Mayor

Anchorage Mayor, 1994[25]

Runoff[26]
  • Rick Mystrom, 58.0%
  • Mark Begich, 42.0%

Anchorage Mayor, 2000

Runoff
  • George Wuerch, 52%
  • Mark Begich, 47%

Anchorage Mayor, 2003

  • Mark Begich, 45%
  • George Wuerch, 37%
  • Rick Mystrom, 15%
  • David Dunsmore, 1%
  • 7 others, 2%
Anchorage Mayor, 2006
Regular election, April 4, 2006
Candidate Votes % ±
✓ Mark Begich 39,468 55.95%
Jack Frost 28,760 40.77%
Nick Moe 1,747 2.48%
Thomas Mark Higgins 431 0.61%
Write-in votes 135 0.88%
Turnout 70,541 35.18%
2008 Alaska U.S. Senate Democratic primary election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Mark Begich 63,747 90.6
Democratic Ray Metcalfe 5,480 7.8
Democratic Frank Vondersaar 965 1.4
Turnout 70,192
2008 U.S. Senate election, Alaska[27]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Mark Begich 151,767 47.77 +37.26
Republican Ted Stevens 147,814 46.52 -31.65
Independence Bob Bird 13,197 4.15 +1.22
Libertarian David Haase 2,483 0.78 -0.25
Independent Ted Gianoutsos 1,385 0.44
Write-In 1077 0.34 +0.21
Majority 3,953 1.25 -66.41
Turnout 317,723

Personal life

In 1990, Begich married Deborah Bonito, a former chair of the Alaska Democratic Party, and the current owner of several small businesses throughout Anchorage. The Begiches have a son, Jacob, who was born in July 2002.

See also

Arctic Policy of the United States

References

  1. ^ Atwood, Evangeline; DeArmond, Robert N. (1977). Who's Who in Alaskan Politics. Portland, Oregon: Binford & Mort for the Alaska Historical Commission. p. 6.
  2. ^ "Ted Stevens, Longest-Serving GOP Senator, Dead". CBS Interactive. August 10, 2010. Retrieved September 28, 2010.
  3. ^ Murphy, Kim. "Begich ends low-key approach". Los Angeles Times. November 20, 2008.
  4. ^ Begich, Tom. (2006-04-30). "Tom Begich: Politics first" Interviewed by Judy Ferguson. Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved on 2007-04-04. Tom Begich, brother of Mark Begich, says of his father, "Until I was nearly 12, I grew up with a man who was a legend, the son of Croatian immigrants, but who disappeared Oct. 16, 1972, into the clouds."
  5. ^ White, Deborah. "Profile of Mayor Mark Begich, '08 Senate Candidate from Alaska". usliberals.about.com.
  6. ^ Annotated historical listing of UA Regents Retrieved on February 17, 2010
  7. ^ "Mayors Against Illegal Guns: Coalition Members".
  8. ^ "A Fourth Mayor Quits Bloomberg Anti-Gun Group - March 15, 2007 - The New York Sun". Nysun.com. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
  9. ^ "Sen. Mark Begich D-AK, U.S. Senator, Alaska". GovTrack.us. Civic Impulse LLC. 2010-09-06. Retrieved 2010-09-06. Begich is a moderate Democrat according to GovTrack's own analysis of bill sponsorship.
  10. ^ Yardley, William. "Alaska’s New Senator Sees Change at Work". The New York Times. December 4, 2008.
  11. ^ [1]
  12. ^ "U.S. Senate: Legislation & Records Home > Votes > Roll Call Vote". Senate.gov. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
  13. ^ [2]
  14. ^ [3]
  15. ^ Anchorage mayor announces run against Ted Stevens
  16. ^ Race Ratings Chart: Senate CQ Politics
  17. ^ 2008 Senate Race Ratings The Cook Political Report, October 9, 2008
  18. ^ 2008 Senate Ratings The Rothenberg Political Report, September 29, 2008
  19. ^ Alaska Senator Found Guilty of Lying About Gifts, New York Times, October 27, 2008
  20. ^ Yahoo! News. Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens loses re-election bid November 18, 2008
  21. ^ Quinn, Sean. "Begich will be Alaska's first U.S. Senate Democrat since Gravel". fivethirtyeight.com. November 18, 2008.
  22. ^ "Stevens concedes race". CNN Political Ticker. CNN. November 19, 2008. Retrieved November 19, 2008.
  23. ^ Forgey, Pat (April 12, 2009). "Palin denies saying Begich should resign". Juneau Empire.
  24. ^ Bolstad, Erika; and Sean Cockerham. Palin, Republicans call for special Senate election. Anchorage Daily News, 2009-04-03.
  25. ^ Blumberg, Peter. (1994-04-21). "Campaign 94 mayor: Let's shake hands before round 2 - 37,850 votes up for grabs." Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved at Newsbank.com (subscription required) on 2007-04-04.
  26. ^ Blumberg, Peter. (1994-05-18). "Mystrom new mayor." Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved at Newsbank.com (subscription required) on 2007-04-04.
  27. ^ "Official Election Results". Alaska Division of Elections. November 4, 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-10. [dead link]

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mark Begich.
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Anchorage
2003–2009 		Succeeded by
U.S. Senate
Preceded by U.S. senator (Class 2) from Alaska
2009–present
Served alongside: Lisa Murkowski 		Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for United States Senator from Alaska
(Class 2)
2008 		Succeeded by
Current
Preceded by Chairman of the Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee
2011 – present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States Senators by seniority
80th 		Succeeded by

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