Just a letter in support of reelecting Senator Mark Begich.

Below is a letter sent to the Juneau Empire by an Alaskan voter. I think it sums up the reasons to keep Begich in office quite succinctly. 

It’s not easy being a Democratic politician in a red state like Alaska, but Sen. Mark Begich does it with integrity. One of Sen. Begich’s first votes in the Senate was for the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. He also co-sponsored the Paycheck Fairness Act. It matters that he was raised by a single mother of six kids. He saw first hand how his mom had to struggle to make ends meet. Sen. Begich says equal pay for women is a fairness issue, which is what women have been saying for decades. 

In March of last year, he issued a statement in favor of marriage equality. The arc of recent history is definitely bending towards marriage equality, and Alaska, the state of new beginnings, is finally on board. 

Dan Sullivan is stuck in the 1950s. He is against a woman’s right to choose in all cases. He even has issues with birth control. He’s against gay marriage, against the Affordable Care Act, and won’t say if he supports equal pay for women. If you look closely at Mr. Sullivan’s TV ads, you see that many of them are paid for by the Koch brothers under the names of Americans for Prosperity, Crossroads GPS, Freedom Works, Freedom Partners, and a long list of others. If Charles and David Koch are in his corner, you know they expect to get less regulation and lower taxes under his administration. 

This past week, I was startled to see Condoleezza Rice’s face filling our television screen touting Dan Sullivan’s qualities to be the Governor of Alaska. Condoleezza Rice lied in front of the world about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, and as a result, that terrible war cost thousands of lives, both military and civilian, and left thousands of American soldiers disabled. Why would Mr. Sullivan think her endorsement would be a plus to his campaign? Who’s next? Dick Cheney? 

Let’s face it. Alaskans only have two working members of Congress. We’re lucky that both of our Senators are thoughtful, honest, and smart people who understand the value of compromise. Let’s keep Sen. Begich in Washington, D.C.

Barbara Belknap 

Juneau

I might quibble a bit with the idea that Lisa Murkowski is thoughtful and honest, but I agree wholeheartedly with the rest.