Tom Begich, lone Democratic candidate for governor, says state is missing opportunities during tough times
- Mark Sabbatini
- 17 hours ago
- 8 min read
Former state senate minority leader says "it's exactly times like this that people should step up" as he faces 12 Republican candidates who have declared so far in 2026 race
By Mark Sabbatini
Juneau Independent
A dozen Republicans seem to think they have a good chance of being Alaska’s next governor, while only one Democrat is officially harboring such hopes so far. The last time a Democrat was elected was 1998.
But Tom Begich, as the lone declared Democrat, says he believes he can overcome that trend, given the rough economic times many leaders in both parties are predicting for Alaska during at least the next few years.
"It's exactly times like this that people should step up," he said during an interview Thursday in Juneau as part of a 12-day visit to Southeast Alaska. "Let me be clear about that. If we were floating in the money and doing great things in the world…I think I'd probably do other things with my life."
Begich, a member of the Alaska State Senate from 2017 to 2023 who served as minority leader during his final four years, comes from a prominent political family with a brother who was a U.S. senator, and a father and nephew who both were elected as Alaska’s lone U.S. House representative.
"I have a little bit of expertise," he quipped with a hint of understatement. As for the prospect of facing a dozen Republicans, "I think ambition (by them) is part of it. I think there's a bit of a lack of focus. Maybe they don't have a particular person or vision that they want. Quite frankly, the better thing for you to do is to ask them why they're all in that race. I'm pleased that I’m the only Democrat."
During an hour-long conversation Begich outlined a platform that included higher taxes for oil companies and some other businesses, a guaranteed Permanent Fund dividend lower than what a long-ignored "statutory" formula specifies, reviving traditional pensions for public employees, and opposing the Cascade Point Ferry Terminal being developed north of Juneau.
Fueling the debate about Alaska’s oil future
Begich, unsurprisingly, says two-term incumbent Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy has made some missteps, including failing to act on proposed tax changes for oil companies and other businesses that could generate hundreds of millions of dollars a year. The state is facing annual budget deficits of comparable size due to low oil prices, affecting debate about major issues such as Permanent Fund dividends, education and infrastructure projects.
The oil tax changes, sought for years by some lawmakers, are particularly controversial since supporters say the industry is getting overly generous treatment from the state and opponents say higher taxes will discourage companies from future production. Begich said his stance mirrors the industry’s advice after the Legislature approved a bill slashing oil taxes that went into full effect in 2014.
"One of the things that the oil industry said at the time is every decade you ought to open the hood of the car and tool around with it," he said. "It's been 11 years — time to open the hood — and I think we should do that. I've looked at our state policy when it comes to oil and gas, and I think we need to be sure (that) if we're not going to have long-term commitment from the industry to stay here that we get full value from that."
Oil, along with other industries such as mining and timber, is likely to be a core issue in the 2026 election due in large part to President Donald Trump issuing a day-one executive order in January mandating the elimination of regulations inhibiting maximum utilization of the state’s natural resources.
Dunleavy and many Republican candidates seeking to succeed him are enthusiastically endorsing that agenda, while some moderate and liberal politicians are expressing concerns about Alaska becoming a "colony" that sees its resources drained by companies to the long-term detriment of residents.
"When I hear those comments that have been made for now four decades, where everyone says we're going to do the mining resource development, the timber resource development, oil and gas resource development, one thing is always missing and the thing that's missing is what are those local Alaska communities saying about the kind of development they want?" Begich said.
Gustavus, one of the communities Begich visited during his trip, has sawmills and might favor access to enough timber for sustainable uses, but not large-scale harvests by a multinational company, he said. Similarly, Klukwan has a nearby state forest that’s a resource for subsistence livestock and commercial fishing, so a more practical approach might involve long-term agreements to leave the trees uncut in exchange for carbon credit revenues.
Begich said he expects areas of agreement and disagreement with Alaska’s all-Republican congressional delegation (which includes his nephew) when it comes to Trump’s natural resources policies.
"I think if you pitch that Alaskans need the resources that are in our state to be developed for us you will get some alignment," he said. "Will I get complete alignment? Nope, but my job isn't to get complete alignment. It's to build consensus around where we can."
Begich said projects discussed by Trump and his supporters such as new oil fields and a natural gas pipeline aren’t likely to come online until 2030 or beyond, so that’s not a solution now for the long-term sustainable fiscal plan state lawmakers of all affiliations have been saying for years is needed.
Planning the future of the Permanent Fund
A fundamental element of any such plan, Begich said, is a Permanent Fund large enough to generate enough income for the state to rely on as a foundation. That means establishing some new revenue sources — such as taxes and carbon credits — so less is spent now, and rewriting the rules for PFDs and other future uses of the fund’s earnings.
Oft-discussed proposals by lawmakers and Permanent Fund officials include a state constitutional amendment mandating a dividend, and altering state law to establish a baseline amount tied "to the success or failure of the Permanent Fund." Begich said he supports those proposals, without yet setting a definitive baseline amount.
"It could be $1,000 — that's what we've been getting on average — it could be $1,200," he said. "That's a negotiation that you have to do with the Legislature and the population because if you don't it doesn't matter what you do. You have to have a majority of the people supporting that constitutional change."
Schools, surgeons and ships
Among Begich’s notable achievements while serving in the Legislature was co-sponsoring the Alaska Reads Act with Dunleavy in 2020, with the governor signing it into law two years later. The law has been widely praised by educators for achieving its goal of improving literacy among students in kindergarten through third grade, although some concerns have been expressed about extra mandates being imposed on schools and teachers without sufficient funds to pay for them.
Begich said the passage of the Alaska Reads Act, and discussions of its impacts and possible modifications, largely mirror the approach he favors on education issues if elected governor. He noted it was a bipartisan effort, and he supports current across-the-isle efforts to increase student funding and make changes to education policies such as a bill passed by the Legislature during this year’s session. Dunleavy vetoed the bill because it didn’t contain some policy measures he favored, but legislators overrode him at the end of the session.
Among the upcoming efforts Begich supports — and many of his Republican opponents may not — is restoring traditional pensions for educators and other public employees. He said it will help resolve the state’s ongoing worker shortage by providing jobs people want to remain at until they retire, while opponents are citing concerns about the multibillion-dollar shortfall the state incurred under the previous pension system until it was replaced with a 401(k)-like system in 2026.
"At the same time you're working with local school districts to develop curriculum that will enhance the ability of juniors and seniors to either live in their community, which some of these districts have pioneered, or to develop vocations that are consistent with new emerging technology like solar or wind," he said.
Energy, along with housing and health care, are the biggest issues beyond stalwarts such as the state’s finances that Begich said he expects will face if elected governor. He said he supports local renewable energy projects (which the Trump administration has targeted for cuts), and he also has seen local-level efforts to expand housing succeed in ways that can be replicated elsewhere in the state.
Health care is a dominant concern of many residents, especially with lower incomes, due to Medicaid cuts approved by the Trump administration and an impending halt to Affordable Care Act subsidies in January. Begich said the state cannot step in to cover lost Medicaid funding — which state lawmakers have estimated could exceed $1 billion — but the most significant of those changes won’t occur for a couple of years and in the meantime Alaska should focus on making health care more affordable.
"That could be considering everything from how we negotiate with the few companies that are interested in doing business up here to actually looking at self-insurance as a possibility," he said. "We have had experiments with that."
Begich also referenced health care when discussing the Alaska Marine Highway System, noting reliable state ferries regularly sailing to all Southeast ports are essential for ensuring residents can get proper treatment. He said that means he favors spending funds to update existing routes and ships, and not Dunleavy-backed proposals such as the Cascade Point ferry terminal about 30 miles north of Juneau.
"Cascade Point is not the future of the ferry system," he said. "The future of the ferry system is something that actually serves people on a regular basis, that is funded, its deferred maintenance is funded, and that has a schedule for when you're rolling in new vessels and rolling out old ones."
A recent state economic analysis states that while the Cascade Point terminal isn’t a plus for the state purely in terms of the ferry system, it has other economic advantages including providing support infrastructure for a proposed new gold mine in the area as well as other possible development. Begich said he disagrees with that approach.
"Why are we using state assets and state resources that should be serving a state highway system to only serve a single population — and not even population, but a single interest that isn't even necessarily going to hire Alaskans and work here or is from here?" he said.
Poll prospects
A recently released poll shows Begich narrowly winning a four-way race against the top three Republican contenders in Alaska’s ranked choice election system, ultimately prevailing with 50.6% of the vote compared to 49.4% for Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom after lower-ranking candidates are eliminated.
However, a major unknown is the plans of former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, who has been mentioned as a potential Democratic candidate for either governor or the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican Dan Sullivan. The recent poll by Data for Progress, as well as one conducted earlier in October by Alaska Survey Research, asserts she would be a strong contender in either race.
Peltola, who was defeated in the 2024 U.S. House election after serving one full term, has not yet announced if she intends to be a candidate next year. Begich has previously stated he will withdraw from the race if Peltola runs for governor and did not say Thursday he has altered that stance.
Begich said one message he is trying to spread during his community visits is encouraging people to maintain their resolve despite the numerous concerns including state setbacks and national policy changes that are causing many to struggle.
"I know at times people become cynical about it, or they think nothing's ever going to change," he said. "But if we can actually harness the strength of Alaskans I am certain we can make that change and I have seen that in virtually every single community I've been to, I've watched how skepticism turns to hope before the end of the meeting and not because somebody's out there promising the planet. They're just putting ideas on the table. It's not rocket science, it's the real deal. And that's that's what I hope people take away from their meetings with me and I hope they hold me accountable for that."
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.
