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Nick Begich III
American businessman and politician (born 1977) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Nicholas Joseph Begich III[1] (/ˈbɛɡɪtʃ/ BEH-ghitch; born October 21, 1977) is an American politician and businessman who has served as the U.S. representative for Alaska's at-large congressional district since 2025. A member of the Republican Party, he had previously run for the seat in the 2022 special and regular elections before his election in 2024.
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Early life and family
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Begich was born on October 21, 1977, in Anchorage, Alaska, to Nicholas Joseph Begich Jr., an author and business owner, and Starr Lyn Weed (née Baker).[2][3][4][5][6][7] He is a member of the political Begich family who have been affiliated with the Democratic Party, although he is a Republican. He is the paternal grandson of Nick Begich Sr., who served as a U.S. Representative for Alaska from 1971 until his disappearance and presumed death in a plane crash in 1972.[3] Begich Sr. had three notable sons: Nick Begich Jr., Mark Begich, and Tom Begich.[3] Mark Begich served as a U.S. Senator from Alaska; Tom Begich served as the Minority Leader of the Alaska Senate.[3]
According to Begich, his mother's family was very Republican and his father is a Libertarian Party member.[8] Begich said he has been a registered Republican since age 21.[8]
Begich attended and graduated from a Florida high school, having moved to Florida with his maternal grandparents after his parents divorced.[8] He received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Baylor University, Texas.[9][10] Afterwards, he received a Master of Business Administration from Indiana University Bloomington.[8]
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Business career
After graduating, he founded FarShore Partners, a software development company which is mostly based in India.[8] In 2016, it had 160 employees internationally.[8] Begich has been business partners with Rick Desai since 2009.[8] He was later joined by his other business partner, JC Garrett, in managing both FarShore Partners and Dashfire.[11] As of 2021, he served as the company's executive chairman.[3]
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Early political career
In 2016, he ran for Seat A in District 2 (Chugiak/Eagle River) of the Anchorage City Council against Republican incumbent Amy Demboski.[8][12][13] Begich lost, receiving 42 percent of the vote to Demboski's 58 percent.[12]
He has served as a board member of Alaska Policy Forum, a conservative think tank. He was the co-chair of the Alaska Republican Party's Finance Committee.[9] He served as a co-chair on Don Young's 2020 re-election campaign for the U.S. House.[9]
U.S. House of Representatives
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Elections
2022 special election
In October 2021, he announced his campaign to run for the Alaska's at-large U.S. House seat against incumbent Republican Don Young, who held the seat since 1972.[3] Young died in March 2022 which led to a special election scheduled for August 16, 2022.[14] The election was a 3-way race of Begich, former Republican Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and Democratic former state Representative Mary Peltola.[15]
The election was the first to use Alaska's new ranked-choice voting (RCV) method, approved by voters in 2020. The winners of the top-four blanket primary advanced to the ranked-choice runoff election, but only three candidates competed (as Al Gross withdrew and endorsed Peltola). Peltola was declared the winner on August 31 after all ballots were counted.[16][17][18] Peltola's victory was widely seen as an upset in a traditionally Republican state.[19]
The results were praised by many pundits and activists.[20] By contrast, some scholars criticized the instant-runoff procedure for its pathological behavior,[21][22] the result of a center squeeze.[22][23][24] Although Peltola received a plurality of first choice votes and won in the final round, a majority of voters ranked her last or left her off their ballot entirely.[22] Begich was eliminated in the first round, despite being preferred by a majority to each one of his opponents, with 53 percent of voters ranking him above Peltola.[22][25][26] However, Palin spoiled the election by splitting the first-round vote, leading to Begich's elimination and costing Republicans the seat.[22][27]
2022 regular election
The regular 2022 Alaska's at-large U.S. House election was held on November 8.[28] The four candidates were incumbent Peltola, Palin, Begich, and Libertarian Chris Bye.[29][30] Under the rules of instant-runoff, Bye and Begich were eliminated in the first and second rounds, after they received the fewest votes. These votes were then transferred to either Peltola or Palin, depending on who the voter ranked higher on their ballot. Peltola won with 55 percent of the vote, increasing her margin from the special election.[31]
Social choice theorists commenting on the race noted that unlike the previous special election, the general election involved few election pathologies. Peltola won the election as the majority-preferred (Condorcet) candidate, with ballots indicating support from a majority of voters.[32]
2024 regular election
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The regular 2024 Alaska's at-large U.S. House election was held on November 5. The election coincided with the 2024 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the U.S. House, elections to the United States Senate, and various other state and local elections.
The primary election was held on August 20, 2024,[33] with candidates Mary Peltola, Nick Begich, and Republican Nancy Dahlstrom emerging as the main candidates. After placing third, Dahlstrom withdrew from the race to avoid another result like 2022 to ensure there was no center squeeze or spoiler effect, resulting in a traditional two-party race with two clear frontrunners.[34][35][36] The four candidates were Begich, Peltola, Alaskan Independence Party candidate John Wayne Howe, and Democrat Eric Hafner.[37]
On November 20, it was announced that Begich defeated Peltola.[38] In the first round, he achieved 48.42% of the vote against her 46.36%. After other candidates were eliminated, the final round resulted in Begich receiving 51.3% of the vote against Peltola's 48.7%, making him the winner.[37][39]
Tenure
Begich was sworn into the U.S. House on January 3, 2025.[40] Later that month, the U.S. House passed two of Begich's bills. The bills, which restored land rights to Alaska Native village corporations and made it easier for disabled Alaska Natives to qualify for federal aid programs, passed nearly unanimously with bipartisan support. Begich became the first freshman member of the 119th United States Congress to have a bill passed.[41]
In May 2025, Begich added a proposal to a budget reconciliation bill. The Alaska-specific revenue-generating provision would increase Alaska's share of federal oil leasing revenues from 50% to 90% starting in 2035.[42]
Committee assignments
Caucus memberships
- Croatian Caucus
- DOGE Caucus
- Native American Caucus
- Pacific Islands Caucus
- Republican Study Committee
- Congressional Western Caucus[47]
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Personal life
He lives in Chugiak, Anchorage, Alaska. Begich and his wife, Dharna, have one son, Nicholas IV.[3][8][48] He is a Protestant.[49]
Electoral history
U.S. House elections
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References
Notes
External links
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