On November 20, Businessman Nick Begich III, endorsed by President-elect Donald Trump, won the sole seat of the House of Representatives for the Republican party, defeating Representative Mary Peltola after completing her first term in office. After unofficial rank choice voting tabs were calculated, Begich won 51.3% of the votes from Congresswoman Peltola with 48.7% of the votes during the second round.
Begich's victory demonstrates a flip in the House from Democrat to Republican where they now lead by 219 seats in the House as the majority and the Democrats are the minority with 213 seats.
"Together, we will tackle the challenges ahead and build opportunities for every Alaskan because this is about much more than politics; its about improving the lives of all Alaskans who call our incredible state home," said the new Congressman-elect on a social media post and thanked Congresswoman Mary Peltola for her service to the state and nation.
Nick Begich's professional career has an extensive record of impressive business ventures with over a decade as a tech entrepreneur and information technology management investor. He will expect to be sworn in on January 3, 2025, as Congressman to the Alaska's seat.
he is the CEO and Founder of FarShore Partners, a custom software development firm with a Zagreb office and co-founder of Dashfire, a start-up assisting companies and business architecture and technology development. He has launched at least 40 high-potential start-ups through strategic application development services with various service providers including the For Motor Company Information Technology Leadership Program. He was also the Interim CTO to several client partners and completed a fellowship for the Club for Growth, a nonprofit advocacy group promoting free enterprise through public policy.
Begich's political career started with his position in 2016, when he ran for the office for the Anchorage City Council and lost against incumbent Republican Amy Demboski. He served as co-chair for the Alaska Republican Party's Finance Committee for the Republican Party.
Originally from Chugiak, Alaska, Nick Begich III comes from a prominent family of Alaskan politicians. He is also a third generation Croatian American and dedicated to his Croatian heritage. Begich's great grandfather, John Begich (Ivan Begić) came from Podlapaća, Udbina municipality in the Lika-Senj region in Croatia and was married to Anna Martinich Begich (Ana Martinić) who is also from Lika-Senj. The Begich family settled in Eveleth, Minnesota and had Nick's grandfather, Nick Begich Sr, in April 1932.
Nick Begich, Sr. was a well-known Alaska's Congressman who was posthumously elected to the House of Representatives after his tragic disappearance on a chartered flight from Anchorage to Juneau in October 1972. He is the nephew of former US Sen. Mark Begich and former state Sen. Tom Begich. Nick's victory stands out from the rest of his politically active family since the other Begich family members held public office as Democrats. In 2017, Nick Begich was awarded the "40 Under 40" Award on behalf of the National Federation Croatian Americans Cultural Foundation for his achievements in information technology and to the Croatian community.
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