As predicted by many in Alaska political circles, former Alaska State Sen. Tom Begich, a Democrat from Anchorage, has filed for governor.
Tom Begich is the Democrat uncle of Republican Congressman Nick Begich. He is also the brother of former Sen. Mark Begich, another Democrat.
The move may be seen as a decoy in order to help bring down Congressman Nick Begich, who has become very popular in Alaska. The Democrats have no viable candidate as of yet and have not won the governor’s race in Alaska since 1998. At the very least, Tom Begich is being used to sow confusion among voters.
Born on Halloween night in 1960, he is a politician and musician who is the son of former US Rep. Nick Begich. His uncle served in the Minnesota House of Representatives for 18 years. He is the only Democrat declared so far for governor.
The open primary brought by the Democrats’ ranked-choice voting system is exactly one year from this writing — Aug. 18, 2026.
His filing may mean that former Rep. Mary Peltola will not run. Democrats tend to sort these decisions out in the back rooms before announcements are made. It also indicates that Democrats will soon announce who they will run against Congressman Nick Begich and Sen. Dan Sullivan.
In a poll conducted earlier this year by political operative Pat Race, Tom Begich received about 2.3% of the support of the candidates offered:
