Mark Begich
Alaska Democrat who was US senator from 2009 to 2015 and mayor of Anchorage.
Mark Begich lost Alaska's Senate seat to Dan Sullivan in November 2014 by about two points, despite millions spent for him by Put Alaska First, a committee with an Alaskan name and national money.
Last refreshed: 18 October 2026
Timeline for Mark Begich
Lost Alaska's 2014 Senate race despite a local-brand PAC
US Midterms 2026: Mentioned in: SLF funds new PACs in Nebraska and MaineBackground
Mark Begich is the most recent Democrat to have represented Alaska in the US Senate. His 2014 defeat is the usual precedent when outside money arrives under a local-sounding committee name, as it did in October 2026 when SLF-funded committees named for Nebraska, Maine and Alaska filed first reports.
Begich was mayor of Anchorage from 2003 to 2009 and won the Senate seat in 2008. In 2014 he lost to Republican Dan Sullivan by about two points, despite heavy spending on his side by committees with Alaskan branding. The largest was Put Alaska First, which raised about $3.6m between April and June 2014, about $3.5m of it from Senate Majority PAC.
His race is a test of whether a home-state label changes how voters read outside spending. On the 2014 result, it did not carry the seat.
Who is Mark Begich?
When did Mark Begich lose his Senate seat?
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 18 October 2026. Editorial standards.