Nick Begich III, the grandson of former Alaska Rep. Nicholas Begich, has filed the legal paperwork as a first step to challenging Congressman Don Young.
Begich is the nephew of former Alaska Sen, Mark Begich and current State Sen. Tom Begich, both Democrats of Anchorage. But Nick is the new generation of Begich, and is a staunch Republican, and he comes from Chugiak. He is the son of Dr. Nicholas Begich, the libertarian.
Last week, Must Read Alaska reported that this move toward establishing himself as a candidate appeared to be imminent: Congressman Young’s former campaign manager, Truman Reed, had just left the congressman’s payroll and signed up to work for Nick. Candidates must file paperwork with the Federal Election Commission once they start campaign activity.
Begich and Reed have been seen together in Anchorage, fueling speculation that Nick was preparing to run.
This summer at a presentation in the Mat-Su Valley, Begich was asked if he planned to run for Young’s seat and said that, if he did, he would make the announcement in the Mat-Su. Today’s filing makes it more likely that he will be making that announcement soon.
Nick Begich is friendly with Young and was Young’s co-chair of his campaign in 2020, along with former Fairbanks Mayor Rhonda Boyles. He has not announced he is running, but has completed the first step, and it’s no secret to the congressman, as the two have had many discussions on the topic, Must Read Alaska sources say.
Nick is a business investor with international companies, and is also a husband and father living in the conservative district of Chugiak. He serves on the board of the conservative think tank Alaska Policy Forum.
Rep. Nicholas Begich, the grandfather of Nick, and and then-House Majority Leader Hale Boggs, of Louisiana, were two of the four men on board a twin engine Cessna 310 heading from Anchorage to Juneau when the plane disappeared. All were lost, including Begich’s aide, Russell Brown, and the pilot, Don Jonz.
Rep. Young became congressman in a special election the following March.
