ALASKA IS
FLAGGING
lives in the state,” Begich said.
“She would be a formidable
opponent in the Republican [primary], but I have no worry or fear
of her,” he added. “I think she is
so disconnected from Alaska now
that I’m not sure she even knows
what’s going on.”
Begich, who was born in Anchorage, will likely highlight his
Alaskan roots to draw a contrast
with the eventual Republican
nominee. All three major announced candidates were born
and raised out of state.
Still, he is keenly aware of the
state’s political leanings, and so
he’s broken with his party on a
number of matters — most notably his vote against expanding
background checks on gun purchasers and his support for expanded oil and gas exploration.
The botched rollout of HealthCare.gov, the federal portal to
health insurance exchanges in
Alaska and 35 other states, has
forced Begich to distance himself from both President Barack
Obama and the Affordable Care
Act. Begich voted for the health
care law, which remains unpopular among Alaskans.
“I’ve always said it’s not a perfect
bill,” Begich said. “I did vote for it,
HUFFINGTON
01.26.14
but I never said it was perfect, and
I’ve recommended changes.”
In one recent Oval Office meeting, Begich excoriated the president for the website’s failed
launch. Afterwards, Begich’s office quickly released a statement
decrying the administration’s
“mismanagement” of the law’s
implementation. More recently
Alaska has suffered a
string of bad exes. Enter
Mark Begich, whose
appearance, demeanor
and outlook are those of
the sensible rebound.
he introduced a proposal to add
“copper” health plans to Obamacare’s health exchanges, which
would feature lower premiums
but higher out-of-pocket costs.
The GOP won’t let Begich off
so easily, aiming to align him so
closely with Obamacare that voters would be forgiven for thinking their junior senator had programmed HealthCare.gov himself.
“Mark Begich was the deciding
vote for Obamacare, which most
Alaskans would like dismantled,”
said National Republican Senatorial Committee spokeswoman
Brook Hougesen. “The fact is that
without Mark Begich in the Sen-