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Mark P. Begich (pronounced /ˈbɛɡɪtʃ/; 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 ten years before 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 at the time.
[edit] Personal lifeBegich 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 U.S. Representative Nick Begich, who disappeared in a plane over Alaska with U.S. House Majority Leader Hale Boggs in 1972. 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.[1] He attended Steller Secondary School in Anchorage. Begich has taken continuing education classes at University of Alaska Anchorage without graduating.[2] Begich is the only U.S. Senator without a college degree. In 1990, he 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. [edit] Political careerBegich 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. 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 allowing a mayor to be elected without a majority vote. He was re-elected in April 2006, winning against local radio personality Jack Frost. Though the office is officially non-partisan, 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[3]. His split from the mayor's group was well-publicized.[4] [edit] Alaska Senate Election, 2008 On February 27, 2008, Begich announced that he was forming an exploratory committee to run for the United States Senate.[5] 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's indictment and later felony convictions.[6][7][8][9] On November 18, 2008, the Associated Press called the election for Begich,[10] who was likely to win by more than the 0.5% margin needed to trigger an automatic recount, and was leading by more than the 0.5% threshold, with the remainder of uncounted ballots originating from the Anchorage area.[11] The next day Senator Stevens conceded the race.[12] Begich's victory over Stevens in the 2008 Senate elections makes 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. He 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. Mark Begich's father, Nick Begich, was the last Democrat to represent Alaska in the U.S. House of Representatives, which he did until his October 1972 disappearance and presumed death during a flight from Anchorage to Juneau with then House Majority Leader Hale Boggs.[13] 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.[14] Begich said in a statement that he intends to serve his full six-year term.[15] [edit] Senate careerBegich's political views are considered to be fairly moderate. He is a member of the Moderate Dems Working Group. He is in favor of ANWR drilling and a supporter of gun rights. Some of his other positions, however, are more within the Democratic mainstream. 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".[16] [edit] Committee assignments
[edit] Election history[edit] Anchorage AssemblyAnchorage Assembly, Seat H 1995
[edit] Anchorage MayorAnchorage Mayor, 1994[17]
Anchorage Mayor, 2000
Anchorage Mayor, 2003
[edit] United States Senate
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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