Begich concedes race to Sullivan

  • By Becky Bohrer
  • Monday, November 17, 2014 11:09pm
  • News

JUNEAU — Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Begich conceded the Alaska Senate race to Republican Dan Sullivan on Monday, nearly two weeks after the hard-fought election.

Begich said he congratulated Sullivan, a former state attorney general and natural resources commissioner, and urged him “to adopt a bipartisan resolve in the Senate.”

“Alaska is ill-served by the partisan fights that don’t reflect our state’s unique needs and priorities,” Begich said in a statement.

During the campaign, Begich, who rose in the ranks of the Democratic leadership since winning election in 2008, cast himself as an independent voice, unafraid to stand up to President Barack Obama and willing to work across party lines. Republicans, meanwhile, sought to tie Begich to Obama and Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, a strategy they used against Democrats in other states in their successful bid to win back control of the Senate.

Sullivan led Begich by about 8,100 votes on election night Nov. 4 and maintained an edge that stood at about 6,200 as of mid-afternoon Monday.

In 2008, Begich won the seat by fewer than 4,000 votes after first trailing then-U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens on election night. In the days following this election, Begich’s campaign said every vote deserved to be counted and that it respected the timetable for counting ballots laid out by the Division of Elections.

Begich said Monday that he put his “record of delivering for Alaska front and center, and it’s why this election was one of the closest races in the country despite over $10 million of attacks from outside groups and their partisan narrative.”

He said he was proud of the work he accomplished, in areas including energy development, veterans’ health care and protecting postal service in Alaska. And he said he was overwhelmed by the support he received.

He said the state deserves a bright future with expanded economic opportunity and a strong, prosperous rural Alaska. He also said he supports equality for all Alaskans. Begich said the results of an election have never diminished his desire to achieve those goals.

Sullivan will join an Alaska delegation that includes Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Republican Rep. Don Young, who was re-elected for a 22nd term.

In a statement, Sullivan said he thanked Begich for his service and the two agreed on the importance of a smooth transition process.

“The responsibility of representing and serving Alaskans comes first,” Sullivan said. “I look forward to doing the job that Alaskans elected me to do, and to begin the process of turning our country around and building a brighter future for Alaska.”

More in News

Montessori materials sit on shelves in a classroom at Soldotna Montessori Charter School on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Education debate draws state attention to peninsula charter schools

Dunleavy would like to see a shift of authority over charter school approvals from local school districts to the state

The Nikiski Senior Center stands under sunlight in Nikiski, Alaska, on Thursday, March 14, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Support available for community caregivers

Nikiski Senior Center hosts relaunched Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program

Flags flank the entrance to Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s office on Thursday, March 14, 2024, in Juneau, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Dunleavy vetoes bipartisan education bill

Senate Bill 140 passed the House by a vote of 38-2 and the Senate by a vote of 18-1 last month

The Alaska State Capitol on Friday, March 1, 2024, in Juneau, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
House passes bill altering wording of sex crimes against children

The bill is sponsored by Rep. Sarah Vance, R-Homer

Ben Meyer and Brandon Drzazgowski present to the Soldotna and Kenai Chambers of Commerce at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska, on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai Watershed Forum gives update on streambank restoration

The watershed forum and other organizations are working to repair habitat and mitigate erosion

The entrance to the Kenai Police Department, as seen in Kenai, Alaska, on April 1, 2020. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai resident arrested on charges of arson

Kenai Police and Kenai Fire Department responded to a structure fire near Mountain View Elementary

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski, speaks in opposition to an executive order that would abolish the Board of Certified Direct-Entry Midwives during a joint legislative session on Tuesday, March 12, 2024 in Juneau, Alaska. (Ashlyn O'Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Legislature kills most of Dunleavy’s executive orders in rare joint session

All the proposed orders would have shuffled or eliminated the responsibilities of various state boards

Nikiski Middle/High School student Maggie Grenier testifies in favor of a base student allocation increase before the Alaska Senate Education Committee on Monday, Feb. 12, 2024, in Juneau, Alaska. (Screenshot)
Students report mixed responses from lawmakers in education discussions

Delegates from the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District lobbied the Alaska Legislature for more state funding and other education priorities

A child waves from the back of a truck as the 32nd annual Sweeney’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade proceeds down Fireweed Street in Soldotna, Alaska on Friday, March 17, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
St. Patrick’s Day parade set for Sunday

The annual Sweeney’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, hosted by the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce, kicks off at 2 p.m.

Most Read