Tag Archives: mark begich

Senate poll: GOP candidate Sullivan ahead of primary pack, even with Begich

A new poll, first released at the Alaska Republican Party annual convention in Juneau, shows that GOP Senate candidate Dan Sullivan has a double-digit lead against the two other GOP contenders in the race, Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell and Joe Miller, with a large percent still undecided. It also finds that Alaska’s view of Sen. Mark Begich’s positive image has “tumbled” over the past months. As of the end of April when the poll was conducted, Begich was only two percentage points ahead of Sullivan in a general election.

The poll was conducted by Portland-based Moore Information, and was paid for by Sullivan. It was conducted April 27-28, in 500 live interviews on both landline and cell phone. The margin of error is plus or minus 4 percent. Moore is associated with Republicans and has a long history for polling for Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Rep. Don Young. The firm also polled for the late Sen. Ted Stevens.

The last time the firm polled early this year, Sullivan polled two percentage points behind Treadwell and ten points ahead of Joe Miller. By the end of April, however, 38 percent of primary voters were going to vote for Sullivan, while Treadwell would get 22 percent and Miller 12 percent. However, 29 percent of primary voters are still undecided, leaving lots of room for Treadwell and Miller to pick up support.

According to the poll, Begich’s positive image went from a net +17 positive to a net +5 today. “The more voters learn about Mark Begich and his ties to the Obama agenda, the less likely they are to hold a favorable impression of him and, conversely, the more likely to hold a negative opinion of him,” Moore’s Senior Vice President Hans Kaiser wrote in a narrative accompanying the poll.

Kaiser wrote that Begich’s vote on ObamaCare appears to be his most serious liability. Among undecided voters, 56 percent are less likely to vote for a candidate who supported Obamacare. More bad news for Begich: only 24 percent had a positive view of Obama while 63 percent had a negative view.

However, it’s impossible to say what those numbers really mean as the chart accompanying the poll didn’t show the total percentage points of undecided voters in the general election.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

Anti-Begich ad likely first ever to use term ‘erectile dysfunction’

Anchorage-based adman Art Hackney isn’t known for making ads that are overly cautious. One of his most famous ones was about a gas reserves tax on the ballot in 2006. It starred himself holding a handgun, which he pointed downward and pulled the trigger. Cut to a still-smoking boot with a bullet hole through it. His most recent radio ad is pure Hackney, and is probably the very first ad for Senate in the country to use the term “erectile dysfunction.” Hackney runs the pro-Dan Sullivan super-PAC, Alaska’s Energy-America’s Values. In the ad, he rifts off of recent Begich commercials which show him zooming through the North Slope on a snowmachine, set to the backdrop music that Hackney describes as “straight out of an erectile dysfunction ad.” Listen to that one here. The other ad that he produced takes on Begich’s time as Anchorage mayor and continues with the “Malarkey Mark” theme Hackney began earlier this year. Listen to that here.
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GOP Senate candidate Dan Sullivan’s first broadcast TV ad

I don’t think anyone would say that GOP Senate candidate Dan Sullivan’s ads so far have been as good as Sen. Mark Begich’s. The one released today–Sullivan’s first broadcast ad– is better. At least he’s talking to the camera with some conviction.

As to the ad’s veracity: Sullivan claims that Obama has gone to “war on American energy.” But domestic oil production has surged since Obama took office. In 2013, the United States was the world’s top producer of hydrocarbons, surpassing Russia and Saudi Arabia. In Alaska, however, the major undeveloped fields are on federal lands, and the Obama administration has been sluggish to open those.

Begich’s campaign swiped back, and pointed to his work in what is poised to be the first commercial oil produced out Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve. Sullivan is ignoring Begich’s “solid record of delivering for Alaska’s oil industry,” his campaign said in a statement.

However, Begich did campaign in 2008 on opening ANWR, which was as far fetched then as it is now.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

Women in Begich’s office make 82 cents for every dollar a man makes

U.S. Sen. Mark Begich has been touting his support for the “Paycheck Fairness Act,” a bill blocked by Senate Republicans on Wednesday that would mandate that women get paid as much as men for the same work. However, a chart put together by the National Republican Senatorial Committee shows that Begich, who gets a set amount and decides how much each employee is paid out of it, might want to look at the disparity between the salaries of men and women in his own office.

The NRSC calculated the average pay for men and women in Begich’s office for the most recent six month period. Because some employees only worked a portion of the six month period, it calculated how much each person was paid per day. If found that the average daily pay for men on Begich’s staff is $201.64. The average daily pay for women is $165.00.

According to NRSC calculations, women in Begich’s office make 82 cents for every dollar that a man makes.

Begich has twice as many female workers as he does male workers, which likely skews the numbers. Also, his two highest paid staff are men. His chief of staff makes $411 a day and his legislative director makes $304 a day. But it appears that there’s disparity in pay for some of the jobs with the same titles. For instance, Begich has three female field reps, the highest paid making $153 a day. His sole male field rep makes $156.00 a day.

Max Croes, a spokesperson for Begich’s campaign, declined comment.

The NRSC also detailed the pay disparity in offices of other red-state Democratic senators, and found the following:

Mark Udall pays women 85 cents for every dollar that a man makes.
Mary Landrieu pays women 88 cents for every dollar that a man makes.
Mark Warner pays women 75 cents for every dollar that a man makes.
Gary Peters pays women 67 cents for every dollar that a man makes.

There are all sorts of reasons why a woman might make less than a man, including experience. Indeed, according to McClatchy newspapers, a pay disparity exists even in the White House, where overall, women make 91 cents for every dollar men make.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

Begich goes after Sullivan for Club for Growth endorsement

On the heels of a Politico story about the Club for Growth, Sen. Mark Begich’s reelection campaign is once again questioning the fiscally conservative group’s March endorsement of GOP candidate Dan Sullivan. The endorsement is coveted by many Republican candidates, not the least because it come with lots of money.

“Sullivan hasn’t shared any details with Alaskans about how he acquired the endorsement or how much cash it will produce, but he is ‘honored’ to have the nod from a group that aims to privatize Social Security and voucherize Medicare,” Begich spokesman Max Croes wrote in a release.

The Politico story details the powerful group’s endorsement process, which one candidate who received the endorsement described as “baptism by fire,” and others who didn’t get the endorsement in less polite terms.

Sullivan’s spokesman Mike Anderson said that Sullivan had an interview with the Club prior to the endorsement, but he didn’t know what was talked about and Sullivan wasn’t immediately available to comment. “I wasn’t in the room, but I’m sure Dan said he would open ANWR, get a road from King Cove to Cold Bay, fully develop the NPR-A, grow the economy and repeal ObamaCare,” Anderson said.

Many groups endorse, and an interview process often is involved. According to the article, however, getting the Club for Growth’s endorsement is particularly arduous and appears to demand that its candidates be ideologically pure by committing to low taxes, and reducing the kind of federal spending on which Alaska depends.The Club for Growth endorsed Joe Miller over Lisa Murkowski in 2010. It also picked Sean Parnell over Rep. Don Young in 2008, when Young called the group “one of the most extreme groups in Washington D.C.”

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

Single women could decide the makeup of U.S. Senate

A Washington D.C. nonprofit teamed up with pollster Celinda Lake, who is also Sen. Mark Begich’s pollster, to study voter behavior in Alaska. A report released Monday suggests that Alaska’s unmarried women, people of color and voters aged 18-29 could determine who wins the U.S. Senate race in Alaska. However, these voters are less likely than others to vote, and it’s going to take work to get them to the polls in November.

According to the Voter Participation Center, about 23,000 of these voters could stay home this election year, as compared to 2012. The total voting block, combined with other Alaskans who are likely to stay home, could be as many as 25,000 votes in the 2014 election. Given Alaska’s history of close elections, this could easily be the voting block that could decide the race.

According to the Washington Post, the national Democrats are paying particular close attention to unmarried women who are eligible to vote, a pool that’s increased by 19 percent since 2000. By contrast, the pool of married women only grew 7 percent during that time. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is building a national computer model to find and hopefully sway single women.

Neither the Alaska Democratic Party nor the Begich campaign knew about a similar effort by any Democratic group in Alaska. However, Begich has been busy reaching out to both women and minority voters in the state.

“Women for Begich” groups across the state have been meeting. Begich is the only pro-choice candidate running for Senate. The three Republican challengers, Dan Sullivan, Mead Treadwell, and Joe Miller have all claimed the pro-life mantle. And all three of them have said at one time or the other that the abortion issue would factor into a decision to confirm a candidate for the U.S. Supreme Court.

Too, in a radio interview with conservative talk show host Glen Biegel, Sullivan appears to support allowing corporations to decide if they will provide contraceptives as part of their health care policies, characterizing a mandate to do so under the Affordable Care Act as an “attack on religious liberty.” That mandate is currently being challenged in the Supreme Court.

Begich has also been reaching out to minority groups in Alaska. Last weekend alone, he met with groups from the Chinese, Hmong, Hispanic, Filipino, Korean, Polynesian, and Cambodian communities.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

Two more conservative super-PACs enter Alaska’s U.S. Senate race

Two more conservative super-PACs have entered Alaska’s U.S. Senate race, both of which are opposing Sen. Mark Begich. According to FEC reports, the Conservative Majority Fund is spending $491 on “contact calls.” The second group, the Conservative Strikeforce, will be spending $1,125 on voter contact calls and emails.

Scott B. Mackenzie is listed as the treasurer for both of the groups and both groups share the same address in Arlington, Va. Dennis Whitfield, former Deputy Secretary of Labor under President Ronald Reagan, is listed as Conservative Strikeforce’s chairman.

The groups are only spending a pittance, but according to political consultant Ben Nuckels with Joe Slade White & Company, $1,000 can buy as many as 66,000 robo calls. If that’s what they’re doing, which is likely. The Conservative Majority Fund has gotten the most press for its robo calls, particularly those that promulgated the conspiracy that President Obama isn’t a citizen. In 2012, the Huffington Post reported the following call which came from the group:

Our only recourse now is to move forward with the full impeachment of President Obama. We suspect that Obama is guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors and that there may be grounds for impeachment as is laid out in the constitution. Further, he may not even be a U.S. citizen because nobody, I mean no one, has seen an actual physical copy of his birth certificate. Impeachment is our only option. And Republicans are already considering Obama investigations. As the nation’s most effective conservative group we are launching the official impeach Obama campaign.

Let’s just hope they’ve got your number and not mine.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

Another Koch brothers’ ad making false claim about Begich’s support of carbon tax

U.S. Sen. Mark Begich has said repeatedly that he doesn’t support a carbon tax. Reputable fact-checking groups have said that those who continue to claim otherwise are wrong. Yet the Koch brothers and their various political arms continue to insist that he does. Below is the most recent ad making that claim, among other claims. This one is funded by the American Energy Alliance, a political action group funded by the Koch brothers. Along with ads targeting Democratic Rep. Nick Rahall from West Virginia, the total spend on the two campaigns is reported to be $630,000.

The other ads about Begich’s supposed carbon-tax support were funded by Americans for Prosperity, another Koch-funded group. The brothers’ insistence that Begich support something he doesn’t support is beginning to borderline on odd. It would be like insisting that he was born in Denmark, say, or maybe Kenya. Perhaps they’re counting on the fact that some people will believe anything if they hear it often enough.

Begich rides through NPR-A in third TV ad of campaign season

On Monday, U.S. Sen. Mark Begich released his third TV ad of the election season, featuring Begich riding a snow machine through the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, or NPR-A, the source of an ongoing development battle between D.C. and the state.

“We had waited decades to drill here in the National Petroleum Reserve, but Washington was still saying no, all because they didn’t want to build a road here…” Begich says. “It took five years before I got the road approved. Next year, the oil starts flowing,” he continues after stepping off the snowmachine.

If approved and drilling begins, it could produce as much as 45,000 barrels a day, and would be the commercial production of oil from the reserve.

The end of the ad says “To be continued.” In other words, watch for a serious of similar action ads.

GOP candidate Dan Sullivan is also releasing two ads this week.
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Murkowski votes in committee against Suh. Begich will likely vote against her on floor.

UPDATED: U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski voted in committee on Thursday against approving Rhea Suh to be assistant secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks at the Interior Department.

The Energy and Natural Resources Committee, where Murkowski is the ranking minority member, voted to approve Suh along party lines, 12-10. Suh’s nomination now heads to the Senate floor, where she needs 51 votes to be confirmed. U.S. Sen. Mark Begich’s office said that he would likely vote against her confirmation. Begich is up for relection. A vote for Suh would ~~likley~~ be used against him by his Republican opponents. GOP candidate, Dan Sullivan, put out a release in February urging him to vote against Suh.

“Given his blind support for President Obama’s earlier Interior Department nominees, and his record of voting with the President 97 percent of the time, I won’t hold my breath,” Sullivan said.

If confirmed, Suh would head the Interior Department division that has decided against allowing a potentially life-saving road from King Cove to Cold Bay. Eleven miles of that road would cut through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge. The road has received much attention in the state recently, largely thanks to Murkowski.

Suh has also in the past been critical of oil and gas development. While working for an environmental foundation, Suh said in 2007 that “the pace and magnitude of this [natural gas] development is easily the single greatest threat to the ecological integrity of the West.”

However, Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu, who chairs the committee, said that Suh has assured the committee that she would “absolutely support the responsible development of natural gas and other fossil fuels from our public lands.”

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

Silver says GOP now favored to take over Senate. Begich’s odds decreasing.

In his new ESPN blog, poll cruncher Nate Silver says that because of President Obama’s low poll numbers and the GOP’s recruitment successes, Republicans now have a slight chance to take over the Senate.

In his last thorough analysis of the race in the summer, Silver had classified the Senate as a toss-up. He gave U.S. Sen. Mark Begich a 60 percent probability of winning the state. Silver still continues to favor Begich, but that probability has shrunk some. Now, he gives Begich a 55 percent probability of winning the race.

Caution: Silver, who doesn’t poll himself but crunches the polls of others, has been wrong about Alaska before.

Here’s what he says about the current race:

Alaska might be the hardest race to forecast. The polling there is often erratic. The state has voted Republican for president every year since 1968, but its independent streak sometimes translates differently in other races. The Democratic incumbent, Mark Begich, might face an establishment candidate in Daniel S. Sullivan, the former attorney general, or Mead Treadwell, the lieutenant governor — or he could face Joe Miller, the former judge and tea party activist who is unpopular beyond the Republican base.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

Begich’s new ad: ‘Alaska’s Son’

Someone working for Sen. Mark Begich’s campaign might have been studying Aristotle. Begich’s latest ad, “Alaska’s Son,” which will run statewide on cable and broadcast, has ethos, pathos and logos, and is beautiful to boot. And it shows that Begich will use everything he has to win.The narrator is Begich’s wife Deborah Bonito and it features their 11-year-old son Jacob. It also features Begich’s father, former U.S. Rep. Nick Begich, who disappeared in 1972 while traveling in a small aircraft from Anchorage to Southeast Alaska. The plane was never found.

Vets gathered to defend GOP Senate candidate Sullivan against ‘fishy’ residency claims

Seven veterans and one father of a vet who died while serving in Iraq gathered at the Veterans Memorial on the Anchorage Park Strip to defend GOP Senate candidate Dan Sullivan, a Marine, against questions about his residency in the state.

Those who are questioning Sullivan’s residency “should be ashamed of themselves for attacking Dan Sullivan’s service to America,” said Daniel Juarez, who served with Sullivan in the Marine Reserves. He also said that those who are “attacking” Sullivan should “apologize to service men and women across the country.”

Sullivan is a Marine reservist who’s been in and out of active duty since 1993. Sullivan moved to the state in 1997. However, he was absent for seven years since that time. He left Alaska in 2002 to work at the White House and the State Department before coming back to the state in 2009. For two years during, from 2004 to 2006, he was called into active duty.

Because of his absence from Alaska, the pro-Begich super-PAC, Put Alaska First, has been airing ads questioning Sullivan’s residency claims. The most recent ad calls those claims “fishy.” Likewise, the Alaska Democratic Party, quoting an Anchorage Daily News story, says that Sullivan continues to “airbrush” his residency.

The campaign, as well as the veterans who had gathered on Tuesday, said that the time he spent away from Alaska, both in D.C. and while on active duty, was in service of his country following 9/11. Many who spoke said that they, too, had left the state for the service. They feel that an attack on Sullivan is an attack on them.

“I met Dan Sullivan while both of us were serving up here in the Marines and I understand the difficulty in having to relocate to serve your country,” said retired Marine Corps officer Casey Campbell.

Wayne Woods was there. Woods lost his son, Shane Woods, in Iraq in 2006 while serving in the Army. Shane’s name is on the memorial. Wayne came to show his support of Sullivan because Sullivan, he said “has the same values as my son.”

As I wrote on Sunday, Alaska is chock-full of veterans, and those who are supporting Begich would be wise to tread carefully here. In addition to potentially offending veterans in the state, the national Republicans will be using any statement by challengers perceived to be anti-veteran. Earlier this month, in another hotly contested Senate race, the right jumped on Arkansas’ Sen. Mark Pryor’s statement that challenger Rep. Tom Cotton is viewing his service in the military as an “entitlement.” Pryor described Cotton’s attitude as, ‘I served my country, let me into the Senate.’”

Sullivan himself was with his wife and three school-aged daughters on spring break.

Shortly after the press conference, Begich’s campaign issued the following press release touting Begich’s commitment to vets in the state:

“As a member of the U.S. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee since 2009 U.S. Senator Mark Begich has fought to improve care and services offered to Alaska’s veterans with his unique understanding of rural and urban Alaska.

Begich’s record includes:

Alaska Territorial Guard – In 2009, Senator Begich successfully secured reinstatement of pension payments for members of the WWII-era Alaska Territorial Guard.

“Significant legislative victory for veterans” – The Disabled American Veterans called Begich’s push to establish advanced appropriation for veterans health programs “the most significant legislative victory of veterans in a generation.”

Extended TRICARE for Military Dependents – In 2011, Begich helped extended TRICARE services for dependent children of military members to the age of 26.

Waived Telehealth Copays – In 2012, Begich and Sen. Grassley’s proposal to waive copays for telehealth and telemedicine visits for veterans was signed into law.

Historic Rural Care Access – Begich followed through on campaign promise to help veterans access care closer to home by allowing rural veterans access to Native health facilities.

U.S. Navy Award – In February 2013, Begich was given the highest civilian award from the U.S. Navy, the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award, for outstanding service and work on behalf of the Navy.

Gene Horner, Alaska veteran, agrees with Begich’s record of accomplishment and today lauded his efforts in the U.S. Senate:

Gene Horner – Retired Army Vietnam Veteran:

“Mark has personally been there for Alaska’s military families, from fighting in Congress, to working with the VA, when veterans need him he answers the call. He’s fought for Alaska’s military past and present including those who served our country before statehood. He listens to us both as veterans and fellow Alaskans and recognizes the sacrifices we have made. Mark has always been a fighter for Alaskans in uniform.”

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

Correction: Sullivan has three daughters, not two, as the story originally said. Also, the timeline has been updated.

Pro-Begich super-PAC calls Sullivan’s residency ‘fishy.’ Sullivan hits back.

Retired Air Force General Joe Ralston, who is a former NATO commander and vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, responded to an ad released on Sunday by the pro-Mark Begich super-PAC, Put Alaska First. The ad questions GOP U.S. Senate candidate Dan Sullivan’s Alaskan residency.

“It’s disappointing and shameful for anyone to attack Dan for leaving Alaska to serve his country after 9/11,” Ralston, who is a Sullivan supporter, said.

The ad, entitled “Fishy” begins: “Dan Sullivan, his claims of being an Alaskan just got fishier.” It says that Sullivan, while claiming to have been a 10 year resident of the state in 2013, checked the “non-resident” box when applying for a fishing license in 2009. Fish and Game’s rules for residency are different than other residency requirements. To qualify for a resident license, you have to be physically present for a year and not claim residency in another state.

Sullivan moved to Alaska in 1997. He left the state in 2002 to work for the National Security Council. He was called to active duty in the Marines between 2004 to 2006. He then worked for the State Department until 2009, when he moved back to the state to be Alaska’s attorney general, and then the commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources.

While away, he owned a house in Maryland, which the ad mentions.

“This is clearly a coordinated effort on the part of national Democrats to attack Republican candidates for their service, and distract from their record of supporting Obamacare and President Obama’s failed agenda,” Sullivan spokesman Mike Anderson said in a statement.

Those who are supporting Begich would be wise to tread carefully here. Republicans will be using any statement by challengers perceived to be anti-veteran. Earlier this month, in another hotly contested Senate race, the right jumped on Arkansas’ Sen. Mark Pryor’s statement that challenger Rep. Tom Cotton is viewing his service in the military as an “entitlement.” Pryor described Cotton’s attitude as, ‘I served my country, let me into the Senate.’”

Pryor, like Begich, is a Democrat running reelection in a red state. Neither are veterans. And their campaigns at times appear to parallel each other. Increasingly, Cotton and Sullivan’s campaigns also have similarities and national groups will likely use similar strategies to advance the candidates.

Sullivan’s campaign released the following timeline of his service:

May 2006—January 2009: U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs, Washington, D.C.

December 2004— April 2006: Active Duty Marine Corps, staff officer to CENTCOM Commander General John Abizaid

August 2002—December 2004: Director, International Economics Directorate of the National Security Council and National Economic Council staffs at the White House, Washington, D.C.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

Young works to secure USF dollars for rural Alaska

I haven’t written about Rep. Don Young for a while, and don’t have much of an idea what he’s up to. He did send a press release out today about meeting with the FCC chairman. The meeting, according to a press release issued by his office, “focused around finding new ways to serve rural and tribal areas across the country. The conversation included discussions on how to maintain a strong and robust Universal Service Fund (USF) and how to uphold the federal mandate of universal service,” the release said.

The Universal Service Fund is a charge on every phone bill that helps subsidize costs of telecommunications in rural America. It should be noted that the FCC classifies all of Alaska, with the exception of Anchorage, as rural. Therefore, the USF fund is more important to Alaska than to any other state in the country.

Recently, with the help of Sen. Mark Begich, Alaska based GCI and Copper Valley received $41 million as part of the fund to increase cell phone and broadband access to tribal areas in the state.

Meantime, according to Newsweek, other telecom giants are scaling back on promises to connect rural America:

After making a big, bold promise to wire every corner of America, the telecom giants are running away from their vow to provide nationwide broadband service by 2020. For almost 20 years, AT&T, Verizon and the other big players have collected hundreds of billions of dollars through rate increases and surcharges to finance that ambitious plan, but after wiring the high-density big cities, they now say it’s too expensive to connect the rest of the country. But they’d like to keep all that money they banked for the project.