(Via New York Times.)
The mayor of Alaska’s largest city has begun a Democratic run for the United States Senate seat held by Ted Stevens for 40 years.
The mayor, Mark Begich, declared his candidacy here on Monday.
Mr. Begich, 46, has been mayor of Anchorage since 2003, and possesses a well-known political name in Alaska. His father, Nick, was the state’s young congressman in October 1972 when the plane in which he and Representative Hale Boggs, a Louisiana Democrat who was the majority leader, were traveling disappeared over southeastern Alaska.
Mr. Stevens, an 84-year-old Republican, filed in February for re-election. He is popular in Alaska, but his legacy was tarnished last year when the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service raided his home as part of a public corruption investigation. Mr. Stevens’s Senate career, which began with his appointment in December 1968, is the longest ever by a Republican.
Mr. Begich said he decided to run after listening to the concerns of Alaskans he met in the last two months after forming an exploratory committee.
“What I’ve heard over and over again the last two months was hard to ignore,” Mr. Begich said. “Yes, Alaska built up clout in Washington, but, respectfully, what good is clout if it’s not used to solve everyday Alaska problems? We have real challenges in Alaska, and we truly need genuine change.”
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