Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) campaigns in the village of Napaskiak. Photo from Facebook
Democrats are reaching out to Alaska Native voters in hopes of returning Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) to office this November. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is putting 130 people to work in five field offices across the state. They will be going door-to-door in rural communities to seek support for Begich, who benefited from the Native vote in 2008. Begich, for his part, is pushing for passage of S.1474, the Alaska Safe Families and Villages Act. The The bill encourages the state of Alaska to enter into agreements with tribes regarding law enforcement. More significantly, it repeals Section 910, the Special Rule for the State of Alaska from S.47, the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, so Alaska tribes can exercise jurisdiction over non-Indian domestic violence offenders. Begich supports the inclusion of Alaska tribes in S.2188, a bill to fix the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Carcieri v. Salazar. He also is backing the inclusion of Alaska tribes in the land-into-trust process at the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Get the Story:
Past Road’s End, Democrats Dig for Native Votes (The New York Times 6/29)
U.S. Postal Service losing tens of millions annually subsidizing shipments to Alaska (The Washington Post 6/29)
Join the Conversation
