Mark Peter Begich is an American politician who served as a United States senator from Alaska from 2009 to 2015.
33 Facts About Mark Begich
2.
Mark Begich was elected to the Anchorage Assembly at the age of 26.
3.
Mark Begich eventually served as chairman for three years, before leaving the Assembly in 1998.
4.
Mark Begich ran two unsuccessful campaigns for Mayor of Anchorage in 1994 and 2000 before being elected in 2003.
5.
On June 1,2018, Mark Begich announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Alaska in the 2018 election, facing off against Republican nominee and former State Senator Mike Dunleavy.
6.
Mark Begich lost the gubernatorial election by a margin of seven percent.
7.
Mark Begich is the son of Margaret Jean "Pegge" and former US Representative Nick Begich.
8.
Mark Begich's father disappeared in October 1972 during a small plane flight from Anchorage to Juneau, Alaska with then US House Majority Leader Hale Boggs, but was reelected the next month, while missing, before both were declared legally dead.
9.
Mark Begich's mother had Polish, Bohemian, Dutch, and English ancestry.
10.
Mark 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.
11.
Mark Begich served for a number of years on the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education, including as its chair.
12.
Mark Begich ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 1994 against Rick Mystrom, and in 2000 against then-Assemblyman George Wuerch.
13.
Mark Begich was re-elected in April 2006, winning against local advertising and radio personality Jack Frost.
14.
On February 27,2008, Mark Begich announced that he was forming an exploratory committee to run for the United States Senate.
15.
Mark Begich said he intended to serve his full six-year term.
16.
Mark Begich's victory made him Alaska's first Democratic US Senator since Mike Gravel left office in 1981.
17.
Mark Begich voted against a Republican-sponsored amended in the Senate to strip all funding from President Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and to prevent the DACA program from being expanded.
18.
On November 17,2014, Mark Begich conceded the election to Sullivan.
19.
On February 13,2009, Mark Begich voted to pass the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
20.
In 2012, Mark Begich introduced a bill called the Protecting and Preserving Social Security Act.
21.
In March 2013, Mark Begich co-sponsored a bill that would flag individuals attempting to buy guns who have used an insanity defense, were ruled dangerous by a court or had been committed by a court to mental health treatment.
22.
Representative Don Young praised Mark Begich for doing a "great job" representing Alaska.
23.
Mark Begich stated that he had concerns but would defend Ballot Measure 2.
24.
In 2008, Mark Begich supported the creation of a national cap-and-trade system for controlling greenhouse gas emissions.
25.
Mark Begich has stated that this should not be interpreted as support for a carbon tax.
26.
Mark Begich supports drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
27.
Mark Begich believes that human activity is a major factor contributing to climate change.
28.
Mark Begich voted in favor of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act when the bill first passed Congress.
29.
Mark Begich has not said whether or not he would vote for the bill again.
30.
Mark Begich is a supporter of Israel and is part of the advisory committee of the pro-Israel group American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
31.
Mark Begich supports raising the minimum wage and extending unemployment benefits beyond 26 weeks.
32.
Mark Begich is married to Deborah Bonito, a former chair of the Alaska Democratic Party and the owner of several small businesses throughout Anchorage.
33.
Mark Begich has taken continuing education classes at the University of Alaska Anchorage.