JustRalph
11-20-2008, 03:40 PM
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-stevens-begich20-2008nov20,0,2988299.story?track=rss
Begich ends low-key approach
Alaska's senator-elect says that he staunchly favors ANWR drilling.By Kim Murphy
November 20, 2008
Reporting from Seattle -- Mark Begich settled in Wednesday as Alaska's newest U.S. senator-elect by doing what almost no other Democrat in Washington would ever do: declaring his support for oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
But this is Alaska, where Democrats are of a different stripe, Begich reminded those who haven't seen many national-level Democrats from Alaska lately.
"I think anyone who knows me knows I'm a different Democrat. I'm from Alaska. I'm a believer, a strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment, a supporter of drilling in ANWR. Alaskans are very liberal [in their belief that] government should not interfere in their personal life," he said.
"I'm definitely different from a New York Democrat -- you can bank on that," he said in response to a question from the New York Times.
Begich, the 46-year-old mayor of Anchorage, edged out four-decade Republican incumbent Ted Stevens, 85, by more than 3,700 votes. Stevens issued a statement Wednesday conceding the race.
Begich's low-key campaign focused less on Stevens' criminal corruption trial, which was under way in Washington, D.C., during most of the campaign, than on his pledge to work on issues, including healthcare, renewable energy resources and climate change, that had received little attention from Alaska's Republican congressional delegation.
At a news conference in Anchorage, Begich said his victory demonstrated that Alaska was no longer a solidly Republican state, but "a state in transformation."
The Democratic candidate beat Stevens in 25 of the state's 40 legislative districts, including on three of the military bases that have always sided with Stevens.
"We're a much more mature state in a lot of ways. People are staying here longer, they're retiring here -- my son's a third-generation Alaskan," he said. "I think in a lot of ways, people are looking for people who will represent them in the long term."
The senator-elect is the son of Nick Begich, who was Alaska's congressman in 1972 when his plane disappeared over the Gulf of Alaska with Rep. Hale Boggs of Louisiana, then the House Majority Leader. The plane was never found.
Far from following Stevens' pedigree as a military pilot and Harvard-educated lawyer, Begich never attended college. He went to work in his family's apartment maintenance business to take care of his mother and put his siblings through college, in a biography his backers say reinforces his stature as a pragmatic Democrat who can survive in a state still dominated by the GOP.
Begich said he was committed to working with the Republican hierarchy in Alaska, including Gov. Sarah Palin, to advance the state's interests above party conflict.
"I've known her for many years. As mayor, we had a good working relationship on issues that were important to us," he said. "I don't care whether she's a Republican or not. . . . Right now, I think her issues are very similar to mine."
Begich ends low-key approach
Alaska's senator-elect says that he staunchly favors ANWR drilling.By Kim Murphy
November 20, 2008
Reporting from Seattle -- Mark Begich settled in Wednesday as Alaska's newest U.S. senator-elect by doing what almost no other Democrat in Washington would ever do: declaring his support for oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
But this is Alaska, where Democrats are of a different stripe, Begich reminded those who haven't seen many national-level Democrats from Alaska lately.
"I think anyone who knows me knows I'm a different Democrat. I'm from Alaska. I'm a believer, a strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment, a supporter of drilling in ANWR. Alaskans are very liberal [in their belief that] government should not interfere in their personal life," he said.
"I'm definitely different from a New York Democrat -- you can bank on that," he said in response to a question from the New York Times.
Begich, the 46-year-old mayor of Anchorage, edged out four-decade Republican incumbent Ted Stevens, 85, by more than 3,700 votes. Stevens issued a statement Wednesday conceding the race.
Begich's low-key campaign focused less on Stevens' criminal corruption trial, which was under way in Washington, D.C., during most of the campaign, than on his pledge to work on issues, including healthcare, renewable energy resources and climate change, that had received little attention from Alaska's Republican congressional delegation.
At a news conference in Anchorage, Begich said his victory demonstrated that Alaska was no longer a solidly Republican state, but "a state in transformation."
The Democratic candidate beat Stevens in 25 of the state's 40 legislative districts, including on three of the military bases that have always sided with Stevens.
"We're a much more mature state in a lot of ways. People are staying here longer, they're retiring here -- my son's a third-generation Alaskan," he said. "I think in a lot of ways, people are looking for people who will represent them in the long term."
The senator-elect is the son of Nick Begich, who was Alaska's congressman in 1972 when his plane disappeared over the Gulf of Alaska with Rep. Hale Boggs of Louisiana, then the House Majority Leader. The plane was never found.
Far from following Stevens' pedigree as a military pilot and Harvard-educated lawyer, Begich never attended college. He went to work in his family's apartment maintenance business to take care of his mother and put his siblings through college, in a biography his backers say reinforces his stature as a pragmatic Democrat who can survive in a state still dominated by the GOP.
Begich said he was committed to working with the Republican hierarchy in Alaska, including Gov. Sarah Palin, to advance the state's interests above party conflict.
"I've known her for many years. As mayor, we had a good working relationship on issues that were important to us," he said. "I don't care whether she's a Republican or not. . . . Right now, I think her issues are very similar to mine."