Mark Begich

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U.S. Senator

Mark Begich

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D-AK

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Positions
Leadership: No leadership position
Committees: Senate Committee on Armed Services, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs
(subcommittees and past assignments)

Candidates for the AK-Senate Class II Seat:
(Next election: 4 November 2014)

Confirmed: None so far
Considering: None so far
Rumored: None so far
Potential: None so far
Dropped-out: None so far
(more info and editing for the AK-Senate Class II Seat)
On the Web
Official website

Mark Begich a Democrat, has represented the state of Alaska in the Senate since 2009.


Mark Begich posts daily schedule information online.


Contents

Positions, record and controversies

During the 2008 campaign, Begich declared these positions on his campaign Web site.


Education

Begich said he believes "that the No Child Left Behind law has been a disaster for Alaska."[1] Begich supports federally-supported voluntary pre-K education, expanded support for higher education, including both college and vocational education.[1]


Ethics

Begich said this about ethics on his campaign Web site:

"Alaskans expect their elected officials to live by the highest standards of honesty, integrity, and transparency. Unfortunately, Alaskans have been let down by their elected officials. Secret meetings, hidden favors, special access for special interests, and now convicted legislators have given Alaska a black eye."
[1]

Iraq

Begich supports redeploying American troops out of Iraq as soon as it is possible to do so safely. He also supports providing the resources to replace damaged equipment, investing in necessary training for the troops, full education and medical benefits and care for veterans.[1]


Global Warming

Begich supports conservation, using renewable energy and promoting innovation to help slow the effects of global warming. His campaign Web site also cites efforts he took as mayor of Anchorage such as replacing street lights with LED bulbs and harnessing methane from the city's landfill.[1]


Healthcare

Begich says he supports expanding State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to 250 percent of the poverty level ($66,000 for a family of four), allowing those up to age 25 to keep their parent-provided coverage regardless of student status, tax credits to help small businesses buy into the federal health care insurance plan and create incentives for states to create pooling opportunities for small businesses and non-profits. He also supports fully funding the Veterans Administration, the expanded use of generic medicines in publicly-funded programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, giving seniors the option to buy prescriptions directly through Medicare and investing more in basic preventative care and wellness programs. Begich would also support policies that ensure that no one is turned away from healthcare because of a pre-existing condition.[1]


The Economy

Begich supports an aggressive target of producing at least 25% of our electricity from renewable sources by 2025, expanding federal tax incentives for renewable energy development,a new national Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund to help retrofit public buildings with energy efficient technology, a new federal funding program that rewards schools that adopt sustainable, high-performance building and reconstruction standard, and bipartisan proposals for a new financing system to rebuild our public infrastructure, including roads and highways, bridges, drinking water and wastewater systems, and public transportation system. 

Begich also supports getting affordable and reliable high speed Internet for rural areas, increasing federal research funding, including funding for a new energy research block grant program that focuses on renewable energy and energy efficiency innovation, increased funding for middle and high school career, technical programs and teacher recruitment, new funding to expand the number of trained workers who can conduct home energy audits, install energy-efficient technologies, build energy-efficient homes and businesses, and maintain alternative energy vehicles of the future. [1]

Taxes

Begich supports extending the tax cuts such as the increased child tax credit. He would like to create tax-free individual homeownership accounts that will allow families to save money for a down payment on their first home, expand the Child Tax Credit to help new parents cover the “start-up costs” of caring for a young child by adding a $1,000 tax credit for each of the first three years of a child’s life, double the current $6,000 Dependent Care Credit to help cover child care expenses, expand the Dependent Care Credit to include care-giving expenses paid on behalf of an elderly parent. He also wants to bring a broad-based college and vocational education tuition tax break for all middle class Americans by providing deductions of up to $10,000 per year. [1]


Veterans

Begich supports creating a special health pass or “heroes health card ” to provide veterans with care in their own communities through coordination between local doctors and the federal government, fully-funded Veterans Administration,increased funding for specialized counseling and support for veterans and family members faced with PTSD and TBI.He also supports new incentives to recruit mental health professionals to the VA that have the appropriate training and expertise to treat PTSD and TBI, providing full education benefits to veterans, and mental health screening, benefits counseling, and job placement services offered through a network of community based transition programs. He also says he would push for more claims workers and electronic claims filings to reduce the bureaucratic delay too many veterans face.[1]


Bio

Begich was born in Anchorage, Alaska, on March 31, 1962, where he graduated from Steller Secondary School. He has taken courses from 

the University of Alaska-Anchorage, but he has not received a degree. He married Deborah Bonito, former Chair of the Alaska Democratic party, in 1990, and they have one son, Jacob, born in 2002. Deborah and Mark Begich are co-owners of the Carson Hot Springs Resort in Carson City, Nevada. Begich also owns vending machine and property rental business. His father, Rep. Nick Begich, served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1972, a plane carrying Rep. Begich and Rep. Hale Boggs disappeared over the Gulf of Alaska.[2]

At age 19, Begich was appointed to the Anchorage City Health Department, and at age 26, he was elected to the Anchorage Assembly (city council). He served as an Assemblyman from 1988 to 1998, and during that time he served three years as Assembly Chair and two years as vice-chair. In 2003, he was elected mayor of Anchorage, Alaska, becoming the city's first mayor that was born there. He was re-elected in 2006.[3] In 2008, he ran against incumbent Sen. Ted Stevens, the longest-serving Republican in Senate history. [4]


2008 elections

Begich was the Democratic nominee seeking to challenge Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) in the 2008 congressional elections.[5][6] He won in primary elections which took place on August 26, 2008. [7] [8]. Begich went on to defeat incumbent Ted Stevens in November 2008 general elections. [7]


Money in Politics

This section contains links to – and feeds from – money in politics databases. For specific controversies, see this article's record and controversies section.

Top Contributors to during the 2008 Election Cycle
DonorAmount (US Dollars)
Coughlin, Stoia et al$ 45,662
Thornton & Naumes$ 44,000
Patton Boggs LLP$ 36,487
Edison Chouest Offshore$ 31,500
Municipality of Anchorage, AK$ 29,750
Robbins, Geller et al$ 29,500
DE Shaw & Co$ 24,500
Impact$ 20,000
National Education Assn$ 16,400
Belfer Management$ 16,100
Source: The Center for Responsive Politics' www.OpenSecrets.org site.
Note: Contributions are not from the organizations themselves, but are rather from
the organization's PAC, employees or owners. Totals include subsidiaries and affiliates.
Links to more campaign contribution information for Mark Begich
from the Center for Responsive Politics' OpenSecrets.org site.
Fundraising profile: 2008 election cycle Career totals
Top contributors by organization/corporation: 2008 election cycle Career totals
Top contributors by industry: 2008 election cycle Career totals


Committees and affiliations

Committees


Committees in the 110th Congress (2007-2008)

Begich will be assigned committees shortly.


Affiliations

More background data

Contact

DC office
  • 111 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510
    Ph: 202-224-3004 Fax: 202-224-2354
    Webform email
District offices
  • Anchorage Senate Office, 222 W. 7th Avenue Suite 569, Anchorage, AK 99513
    Ph: 907-271-5915 Fax: (none entered)
  • Fairbanks Senate Office, 101 12th Avenue, Room 206, Fairbanks, AK 99701
    Ph: 907-456-0261 Fax: (none entered)
On the Web
Campaign office
  • No campaign website entered.
  • No campaign webform email entered.
  • P.O. Box 240287, Anchorage, Alaska 99524
    Ph: 907-272-6275 Fax: (none entered)


Articles and resources

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 On the Issues
  2. ↑ Deborah White, "Profile of Mayor Mark Begich, '08 Senate Candidate from Alaska", USLiberals.com.
  3. ↑ Meet Mark page
  4. ↑ William Yardley, "Congratulation and a Concession for Alaska’s Senator-Elect" The New York Times, November 19, 2008.
  5. ↑ 2008 Race Tracker page on Alaska’s Senate Race
  6. ↑ Begich for U.S. Senate website
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 “Alaska 2008 General Election,"The Green Papers, August 27, 2008
  8. ↑ Rachel Kapochunas, "Young Leads (Barely) in Alaska Primary Count, as Stevens Survives",CQ Politics, August 27, 2008


External resources

External articles

Semantic data (Edit data)

Related Links

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