Alaska Senate: Even Mark Begich Has His Flaws
The progressive netroots have been all about Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich for quite some time. Not only is he challenging the legally-troubled and obstructionist Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK), but he boasts an extremely progressive platform in a state known for voting red across the board. And for any number of reasons, it seems to be working.
While Stevens’ federal investigation surely hasn’t helped his efforts (Tim Hurst has a great post on Senator Stevens’ list of indictments), he has only been ahead in two polls this whole year. Since Stevens was indicted, Mark Begich has extended his lead considerably, leading by 17 points in the most recent polls. Reelection is surely looking tough for Stevens, who has long been known as an enemy of environmentalists and a friend of big oil.
Thus far, Begich has run a campaign based on truly progressive change. He has, for the most part, posited himself as a pro-environment candidate, supporting massive research, development and employment of renewable energy technologies – in wind, geothermal, tidal and hydropower. Despite the cloud of corruption surrounding Stevens and his perpetual pitch on ANWR drilling, Begich won’t be an escape route for those who oppose expanded domestic drilling. Begich has long supported efforts to drill in ANWR and other protected areas – not exactly the most environmentally conscious of policy proposals. This, however, may be the only common ground that Begich and Stevens hold, especially on energy and environmental policy.
Despite his stance on ANWR, Begich has a record for promoting sustainability as the mayor of Anchorage – and it appears that his energy plan as a senator would be no different. His proposal to reduce energy consumption 25% by 2018 and have a nationwide portfolio of 25% renewable sources by 2025 is definitively practical – but it also represents the bold stance that many in the Senate, especially Stevens, have refused to take on reducing carbon emissions in the US (see Begich’s energy plan here and here). So while Begich may not be the anti-drilling voice that progressive Democrats and environmental voters are looking for, he has shown himself to be incredibly aware of the problem of global warming and the solutions available to mitigating it.
Related Posts:
- Another Reason Not to Drill in ANWR: Ted Stevens Indicted on Federal Charges
- League of Conservation Voters Names Two More Candidates to “Dirty Dozen” List of Eco-Haters
Photo Credit: ChrisL_AK via flickr under a Creative Commons License
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