Senator Mark Begich

Mark Begich served as a Senator from Alaska in the United States Congress from 2009 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, Mark Begich contributed to the legislative process during 1 term in office.

Mark Begich’s service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history. As a member of the Senate, Mark Begich participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of constituents.

Mark Peter Begich ( 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. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as mayor of Anchorage from 2003 to 2009. As of 2025, he is the last Democrat to serve Alaska in the U.S. Senate. Begich was born in Anchorage, making him the first US Senator native to the state. He is the son of former US 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 reelected in 2006. In the 2008 Senate election, Begich narrowly defeated incumbent Ted Stevens, at the time the longest-serving Republican member of the US 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 US 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 percentage points.