Opinions

OPINION: Why we’re supporting Nick Begich III for US House

Nick Begich III is a 44-year-old conservative Republican running for Alaska’s only seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. He and his wife Dharna have a 10-year-old son, Nicholas. Nick was born in Alaska and currently lives in Chugiak. Yes, he is a part of the well-known, primarily Democratic Begich family. However, he comes from a different branch of that family tree. At a very young age, following the divorce of his parents, he was sent to Florida, where he was raised by his mother’s parents. They instilled the strong conservative Christian values he holds today. His involvement with the Republican Party started when he was still in high school. He organized a group of like-minded students who, though too young at that time, were referred to as part of the official organization of “Young Republicans.” Following high school, he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration at Baylor University, then an MBA at Indiana University. His wife finished her education at Purdue University and is a pharmacist at Providence Hospital in Anchorage. Of note is the fact that they paid for their own education.

He worked for Ford Motor Company for several years and then started his own business. He is the founder and executive chairman of FarShore Partners, a full-service custom software and product development design agency that provides technical expertise locally and internationally.

Nick returned to Alaska 18 years ago. During the past 18 years, he has demonstrated his natural leadership ability in multiple public service arenas. He became the co-chair of the Alaska Republican Party Finance Committee (2017-19) and co-chair of Alaskans for Don Young (2020). He served on the Alaska Policy Forum whose vision is “an Alaska that continuously grows prosperity by maximizing individual opportunities and freedom.” He was board president from 2018–2021. He was elected to the board of directors of Matanuska Telephone Association (MTA) in 2016 – 2022. While on the MTA Board, he served on and was elected president of the MTA Foundation Board (2017-2021). The goals of the Foundation Board are to promote technology awareness, economic development and enhance entrepreneurship through education and community involvement. In addition, he has invested in a variety of businesses statewide helping to create jobs and strengthen Alaska’s economy.

Nick stands for the following: Prosperity through resource independence, American energy security, Alaska’s role in national security, veterans, development of Alaska’s critical minerals, lowering Alaska’s energy costs, restoring Alaska’s timber industry, ensuring sustainable fisheries, securing our Second Amendment freedoms, focusing education on the student, enhancing Alaska’s tourism, lowering health care costs for Alaskans, and protecting American freedom from judicial activism

He is running a high-energy campaign. He’s traveling statewide to meet other Alaskans, to discuss their views and concerns, and to answer any questions they may have. We hope the future involves a political forum where all the candidates are in attendance and where the questions are not provided to the candidates in advance. This will give us, the voters, the opportunity to judge each candidate based on their knowledge of and potential solutions for various state issues.

Take the opportunity to meet Nick. His entrepreneurial experience, his demonstrated leadership ability, and his dedication to understanding Alaska’s diverse issues makes him unquestionably the most qualified person to represent all of Alaska in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Jim and Faye Palin are retired managers at Matanuska Telephone Association and Matanuska Electric Association, as well as the parents of Todd Palin. They live in Wasilla.

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