Mark Peter Begich[1] (/ˈbɛɡɪtʃ/ BEGG-itch; born March 30, 1962) is an American politician and lobbyist who served as a United States senator from Alaska from 2009 to 2015.

In the 2008 Senate election, Begich narrowly defeated incumbent Ted Stevens, at the time the longest-serving Republican member of the U.S.

[2] In the 2014 Senate election, Begich was narrowly defeated in his bid for reelection by former Alaska Attorney General Dan Sullivan.

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.

His father disappeared in October 1972 during a small plane flight from Anchorage to Juneau, Alaska with then-U.S. House Majority Leader Hale Boggs, but was reelected the next month, while missing, before both were declared legally dead.

At the age of 18, he had obtained a business license to sell jewelry and was helping his mother manage a number of real estate properties.

[12] His mother twice ran against longtime Congressional Representative Don Young in the 1980s, who had filled her late husband's seat in a special election in 1973, losing both times.

In April 2009, Alaska Republican Party chairman Randy Ruedrich issued a call for Begich to resign so a special election could be held.

Despite the fact that the charges had been brought by the Bush administration, Ruedrich argued that Begich's win was illegitimate because of "improper influence from the corrupt Department of Justice."

[24] On November 18, 2008, the Associated Press called the election for Begich,[25] who was leading and likely to win by more than the 0.5% margin needed to trigger an automatic recount, with the remainder of uncounted ballots originating from the Anchorage area.

Candidates in the closed Republican primary included Lieutenant Governor Mead Treadwell, who received 25% of the vote; former Alaska Attorney General and Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Daniel S. Sullivan, who won with 40%; 2010 U.S. Senate nominee Joe Miller (32%); and John Jaramillo (3%).

According to Politico, "Begich, running in deep-red Alaska, has sought on several occasions to highlight shared positions with Murkowski.

According to The Washington Post, "Begich is one of a small but growing group of Democratic lawmakers who support the idea of lifting or changing the payroll tax cap, so higher earners pay more while adopting a new measure for inflation that would increase benefits for all seniors.

"[38] In August 2014, Begich pulled a campaign ad accusing opponent Dan Sullivan of allowing an alleged murderer and rapist to get off with a light sentence.

[66][67] Begich voted in favor of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (most commonly known as Obamacare) when the bill first passed Congress.

[72][73] Begich is married to Deborah Bonito, a former chair of the Alaska Democratic Party and the owner of several small businesses throughout Anchorage.

[77] His nephew, Nick III, made the primary runoff (along with former governor Sarah Palin and former state Representative Mary Peltola) for the Congressional seat that became vacant in 2022 as a result of the death of Don Young.

The initiative aimed to address the high cost of food in rural Alaska by providing lower prices, better products, and a community-oriented approach.

The store was marketed as a transformative effort to improve food security and the cost of living for residents in the North Slope region.

[81] Despite these promises, the store faced significant challenges related to inventory management, which drew criticism from the local community and stakeholders.

[82] The Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation (UIC), which owns the Stuaqpak building, publicly addressed persistent inventory shortages, acknowledging their impact on residents and pledging to implement changes.

[83] UIC emphasized that, while it owns the facility, it has no operational control over the store but is actively working to ensure the needs of shareholders and the broader community are met.

The corporation's response included efforts to identify a viable operator to resolve the inventory issues and enhance services at the location.

While supporters view the project as a step toward addressing systemic challenges in rural food supply chains, critics highlight ongoing operational difficulties and the unmet expectations of the local community.