Begich to be sworn in as new term of Congress begins

Alaska gets a new U.S. House representative Friday when members of the 119th Congress are sworn in.

Republican Nick Begich III bested Democratic U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola in the November election. Peltola was sworn in to the U.S. House in September 2022, after winning a special election to replace longtime Rep. Don Young, who died after 49 years in office.

Begich, who campaigned on carrying out President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda, is one of more than 60 new members joining the U.S. House on Friday.

He joins Congress 54 years after his grandfather, Democratic U.S. Rep. Nick Begich Sr., who disappeared in 1972 during a flight from Anchorage to Juneau.

Born in Alaska, Nick Begich III was raised by his maternal grandparents in Florida and returned to Alaska as an adult, bringing with him a conservative brand of politics that set him apart from his uncles — former U.S. Sen. Mark Begich and former state Sen. Tom Begich — who were both elected as Democrats.

This will be Nick Begich III’s first experience in elected office. He previously founded a company focused on offshoring information technology jobs to other countries.

The U.S. House on Friday is expected to elect its speaker. In a social media post, Begich said he supported current Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican. Begich’s statement came after Trump endorsed Johnson, who had faced criticism from far-right Republicans.

[Mike Johnson’s bid to remain House speaker looks shaky despite Trump endorsement]

Begich co-signed an opinion piece published by the Washington Examiner, in which he said that Johnson had helped flipped Alaska’s lone U.S. House seat from Democratic to Republican control. Alaska’s congressional race was one of the most expensive in the country, and saw massive spending from groups aligned with Johnson.

“Speaker Johnson and his leadership team worked tirelessly to deliver the Republican House Majority,” Begich wrote in his social media post, adding that “unity in the Republican conference is necessary for delivering on the America First agenda.”

Begich in December announced initial staffing decisions, including hiring Michael Horanburg as his chief of staff. Horanburg previously served as chief of staff to a one-term Republican congresswoman from New Mexico, Rep. Yvette Herrell, who was elected to the U.S. House in 2020 and lost to a Democratic challenger in 2022.

Begich also hired Kevin Swanson as legislative director. Swanson previously worked for Young and Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski.

Begich’s state director is expected to be Rick Whitbeck, who previously worked for Power the Future, an energy nonprofit that championed the oil and gas industry, and before that for GCI, Alaska’s largest telecommunications company.

Silver Prout is set to serve as communications director. She previously worked in Murkowski’s office and for the executive branch during Trump’s first term.

U.S. House proceedings and swearing-in ceremonies can be viewed on C-SPAN.