Mark Begich
Mark Peter Begich (/ˈbɛɡɪtʃ/ BEGG-itch; born March 30, 1962) is an American politician who served as a United States senator from Alaska from 2009 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as mayor of Anchorage from 2003 to 2009.
Mark Begich | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2012 | |
| Chair of the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2015 | |
| Leader | Harry Reid |
| Preceded by | Debbie Stabenow |
| Succeeded by | Amy Klobuchar |
| United States Senator from Alaska | |
| In office January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Ted Stevens |
| Succeeded by | Dan Sullivan |
| 34th Mayor of Anchorage | |
| In office July 1, 2003 – January 3, 2009 | |
| Preceded by | George Wuerch |
| Succeeded by | Dan A. Sullivan |
| Chair of the Anchorage Assembly | |
| In office April 30, 1996 – May 5, 1998 | |
| Preceded by | Craig Campbell |
| Succeeded by | Fay Von Gemmingen |
| In office May 4, 1993 – December 7, 1993 | |
| Preceded by | James Barnett |
| Succeeded by | Dick Traini |
| Member of the Anchorage Assembly from Seat H | |
| In office October 4, 1988 – April 21, 1998 | |
| Preceded by | Brad Bradley |
| Succeeded by | Melinda Taylor |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mark Peter Begich March 30, 1962 Anchorage, Alaska, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Deborah Bonito (m. 1990) |
| Children | Jacob Begich |
| Parent |
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| Relatives | Tom Begich (brother) Joseph Begich (uncle) |
| Residence(s) | Anchorage, Alaska |
Born in Anchorage, Alaska, Begich is the son of former U.S. Representative Nick Begich Sr. He was elected to the Anchorage Assembly at the age of 26. He eventually served as chairman for three years, before leaving the Assembly in 1998. Begich ran two unsuccessful campaigns for Mayor of Anchorage in 1994 and 2000 before being elected in 2003. He was subsequently reelected in 2006. In the 2008 Senate election, Begich narrowly defeated incumbent Ted Stevens, at the time the longest-serving Republican member of the U.S. Senate.
In the 2014 Senate election, Begich was narrowly defeated in his bid for reelection by former Alaska Attorney General Dan Sullivan. Following completion of his term in the U.S. Senate, Begich started Anchorage-based consulting firm Northern Compass Group. On June 1, 2018, 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. He lost the gubernatorial election by a margin of seven percent.