Nick Begich III, grandson of Rep. Nick Begich, files paperwork with FEC to challenge Young

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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.

64 COMMENTS

  1. Will be interesting to talk to him to see where he sits on many issues. I have been very disappointed with Young and will be looking at putting a true conservative in Congress. Young has become to ingrained in DC politics to truly represent Alaskans.

    • AKDan,
      Alaska has had a duplicitous Democrat as the Representative my entire adult life. It would be refreshing to have an actual Republican, and see if he is able to withstand the intoxicating DC corruption.

      • I totally agree Young is contaminated by being in the swamp to long. No one stays in DC that long without drinking the Kool-aid. I would only embrace Begich if endorsed by Trump! I just do not trust most folks running for office unless they embrace the America First agenda of fixing what is wrong in America with the right solutions that benefit our citizens, period! Unless Begich embraces fixing our election system, lowering taxes, reforming our education system under the 1776 commission curriculum and allowing money to follow the student in a charter school choice system, hold judges and politicians alike accountable to their oath to the Constitution, term limits, no more free rides for politicians as they pay for their medical care and retirement plans with no 100% pensions etc., etc.

    • I find his dad very open-minded, curious and intelligent, hopefully this rubbed-off on #3. Of course, the smear-squad will only see the negatives here, and start to squeal, “they’re conspiracy theorists.”

  2. Got fooled once with Merrick and her husband being a Dem, not going to get fooled again and vote for a Begich. No RINOs allowed. 2 more years for Uncle Don Young.

    • Kelly Merrick came from Don Young’s office. Don Young endorsed Kelly Merrick. Don Young was seen at a fundraiser with Bill Walker and Scott Kendall. Don Young is the Democrat in the race and if any conservative knew Don young’s record they would never vote for Don Young. Nick Begich III’s father is a staunch Republican and Nick Begich is the true conservative in the race.

      • Don Young wasn’t at a fundraiser for Walker – he was at a fundraiser for something else they both went to…

    • Your being fooled by voting for Young again then. He votes pro union, always, look at his record. Don talks talk but rarely walks the walk, like Lindsey Graham. Nick Jr & Nick 3 are not RINOs.

  3. You have to start somewhere… I’m reserving judgment for now. Nick is a good man who could do very well for us, but Don Young has influence that can’t be beaten with his seniority as Dean of the House. Don has served Alaska very well for a long time. Can Nick beat whomever the opposition runs against him? I would be looking for Don to announce his retirement before I would come out fully supportive of anyone replacing him. We need Don Young more than ever with this radical leftist federal government. It is too easy for the Right to smear anyone who is incumbent, since they have to work with coalitions to get the Nation’s – and the State’s – work done. My money is on Don Young, if he chooses to run.

    • With ranked choice voting, having two Republicans might be better than one. The RCV is a very bad deal, and will be used to eliminate any conservative.
      As bad as Young is, the least worst outcome is 2 more years of Young over any self identifying Democrat.

      • Rest assured that we will have Democrats running as Republicans in every race from now on. Ballot 2 makes that possible

      • I don’t suppose you have heard of Approval voting (vote for all you approve of)? It is simpler than Ranked Choice voting, yet much better. It has neither a left nor right bias, and properly eliminates vote splitting.

    • Mr Young has voted twice now in this session for red flag laws in the VAWA and the Military budget bills.

      This is a complete attack against both the US and Alaska Constitutions. This is not his first time doing so either. His weed and guns bill was cute, but ultimately is entirely useless and just pandering.

      Not sold on a Begich just yet, however its good to see a possible alternative to the anti 2A Mr Young

  4. Hip Hip Hooray! Nick will make a fine conservative member of Congress. I’m glad he’s stepping up and making himself known.

  5. Murkowski. Young. Begich. Doesn’t Alaska get tired of the same old names in politics? Once elected, they only worry about one thing:
    .
    Getting re-elected.
    .
    And then we end up having them in office for the next 40 or 50 years.
    .
    Alaska deserves better than that.
    .
    How about some new names, with real qualifications and credentials, not just a famous last name?

  6. One RINO from a political dynasty challenging a slightly bigger RINO, not from a political dynasty. How fun. When will Eastman run for Congress/senate?

  7. An aside:
    That Cessna 310 iced-up on its flight to Juneau. The pilot who worked with Don Jonz flew it the day before. His name was Bob Thomas. Mr. Thomas red-tagged the 310 because the de-icer was functioning sporadically. Don Jonz ignored the ted-rag the next morning because Begich and Boggs had a big fund-raiser in Juneau that they needed to attend. That would be their last fundraiser. The plane probably never made it much past Whittier.

    • Interesting. Tony Motley and Ted Stevens were also on a tight schedule. They were the only survivors of that crash.

  8. This could be good for Alaska, Don had his day. I’m old but believe we need new conservative blood, someone not connected to the DC sewer.

  9. It’s past time Young pick a successor.

    Is there any chance he’s doing this with Young’s support?

    • We should not be prejudiced. We need to both listen to his words and scrutinize his actions to see if they validate his words. I once flew next to Mark Begich and (when he wasn’t badgered by people in the aisle) we talked about life and politics. He seemed a nice guy and he listened! We disagreed but he listened calmly and conversed reasonably. I wouldn’t likely ever vote for him any more than the princess, but I could see having a beer with Mark.
      So I want to hear Nick’s positions and see his actions. I will be no more prejudiced by his name than his skin color. Don Young may again prove the lesser of two evils on the ticket, but he really needs to be put out to pasture.

      • Ak, words mean NOTHING, action are much more import. He has very little in action that validates him to be a leader.

  10. I have marked the box for Young all my adult life, but will never do it again. When he went full in for vax and certified the election of the poser president I lost all patience with that old curmudgeon.

  11. 1. His record of public service is thin. 2. Alaska’s experience with hereditary leadership is mixed. If I liked that approach, I would move to some eastern cesspool like Massachusetts.

  12. You know, this guy could have political views 100% in line with my own, but I would still be uneasy with yet another Begich in Alaskan politics. I just do not like seeing family political dynasties — it reeks of third-world political corruption.

  13. Tell you what I know about Nick Begich III, I asked him point blank last summer what his position was on Vaccine mandates. His answer, was Vaccines were a personal choice. Right answer.
    Beside that he has business experience. Another plus.
    He has my vote and my support.

  14. Not so sure about DY anymore. Not after he voted in favor of a recent anti-2A law being pushed by dems (Gun confiscation and Red Flag search law).

    See more info here:
    “https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyEgZZ1y7N0”

    But to be fair, I don’t know who I would consider a better candidate either.

    • If voters would just stop the insanity of voting for “the lesser of two evils”, actually good candidates could and would appear. It is this self-defeating attitude that keeps our political sphere locked in an endless cycle of corruption, dysfunction and pro-status-quo-ism.

      • Hell yeah! Vote Third Party! Vote for your Liberty above special interest priorities!
        Your Freedom and Liberty are priceless and should come down to the lesser of two evils.
        Its time. Its time to vote third party!

    • What you are not recognizing: the enemy has a majority in the house, the senate, and owns the white house for now; and how hard Don worked to minimize the severity of that law. Tell the WHOLE story friend. He’s been a member of the house minority most of his career.

  15. How have we allowed politicians to become heirs to the crown, by family name? This is ripe for corruption. He says he’s Republican but so do all the other traitors and RINOs. How much weight will his name alone carry when it deserves none? All of you who want Young out, I do as well, are just grasping for something new but it won’t be better, all because you recognize a name and attach some superficial invalid opinion to it. We have had 5 strikes from the Begich’s, when are they out?

    • John Galt- We’ve come to the point where many will take the blue pill which leads to a fake but comfortable world. A handful will boldly step forward to accept the red pill and take life by the short and curlies. And still others will sit on the sidelines, too confused to accept either a blue or red pill. When Atlas shrugs…..I want a seat at the table. Its time. Its time to vote third party. Neither establishment party will cater to your needs over their special interests. Its time man. Its time to vote third party.

  16. Remember, Don Young refused to sign the “Contract for America” in 1994. That told me he was no conservative. He is only interested in bringing home the pork so he can get re-elected.

      • Are you sure they’d welcome him back without Lu? Anyone who has been around Alaska politics more than two or three days has seen the photos of his boarded-up trailer in Fort Yukon contrasted with his stately manor in McLean. How safe would he be in the former?

  17. I have the upmost respect for anyone serving our State as long as Congressman Young, although I can’t agree with his stance on certain issues. His stance on the Pro act is against my grain, but would his vote against it gain anything other than animosity? Playing politics comes with his years in office, and I feel that sometimes making a stand on something that already has the votes in Congress doesn’t do any good. In other words, don’t fight a battle you have no chance of winning but save your amo for the ones you can while making the enemy think you are playing their game. I hope this is the case. In my opinion, Nick would be a great statesman and is very conservative. I only wish he he was running for governor. But if he is running for Congress, I can only hope that it would be with Don Young’s blessing.

  18. Some of us had an opportunity to spend an evening with Mr. Begich a while back. I truly believe he is no RINO. We now have ranked choice voting. I am voting Begich 1st and Young 2nd . I have great respect for Mr. Young but he deserves to retire before it’s too late. I only hope he can stick around to show Nick the ropes and the side doors.

  19. I would support him with my vote. He seems to have solid conservative values. And with all due respect to Don Young- who I do respect, and whose service I appreciate- it is time for him to retire. We need some new voices in the House and Senate. Murkowski needs to go next and needs a solid conservative to challenge her.

  20. Another fine example of political nepotism. Its time Alaska. Its time to step out of the box and vote 3rd party. We’ve been coddled and steered into two camps Repubs and Dems. Driving down the road of governance we are heavily influenced between two choices, engage your blinker for a left turn or for a right turn…I propose another option. Use your wiper blades and gain some clarity. Both camps are engaged in financial fratricide in the form of debt while ensuring their special interests are well taken care. Vote third party, take back governance and hold both parties accountable for their less than stellar performances.
    Vote for Chris and Sean puts Liberty and Freedom ahead of special interests.

  21. Sounds like a good candidate but I would rather see murkowski replaced.
    I wish Begich would run against rino Senator Lurky Murky.
    The issue is LIFE. pro life elected officials need to take abortion to the special sessions and demand a law like Texas. We need to follow Texas’s example and if we do God will bless our state. You watch. God will bless Texas because of their heroic effort to protect the unborn.
    Come on Nick. Be a pro life hero. See where the unbelievable path will lead that God has for you. If you are a champion for the unborn GOD will make you successful. Only God can make a person stand or fall and Good WILL bless your campaign if you stand up for the unborn. Be encouraged. There are people out here excited for you and a hope for a reasonable and conservative great state of Alaska.
    Encourage yourself like king david. Sometimes people will fail you but God has your back. Focus on that. Not negative stuff. Good form old boy-Go get em!! Go get elected!! Initiate the change to bring Alaska back to being a conservative state!

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