United States Senate elections in Alaska, 2014

Candidate ballot access
	Find detailed information on ballot access requirements in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

	; ; 2014 U.S. Senate Elections in Alaska
	General Election Date ; November 4, 2014
	Primary Date ; August 19, 2014
	November 4 Election Winner: ; Dan Sullivan
	Incumbent prior to election: ; Mark Begich
	Race Ratings; Cook Political Report: Toss Up; Sabato's Crystal Ball: Toss Up
	Other Senate Elections Alabama • Alaska • Arkansas • Colorado • Delaware • Georgia • Idaho • Illinois • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Montana • Nebraska • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • North Carolina • Oklahoma • Oregon • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Virginia • West Virginia • Wyoming
	2014 U.S. House Elections

**U.S. Senate, Alaska General Election, 2014**
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Dan Sullivan	48%	135,445
	Democratic	Mark Begich Incumbent	45.8%	129,431
	Libertarian	Mark Fish	3.7%	10,512
	Independent	Ted Gianoutsos	2%	5,636
	N/A	Write-in	0.5%	1,376
Total Votes				282,400
Source: Alaska Secretary of State

Voters in Alaska elected one member to the U.S. Senate in the election on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Mark Begich (D) was defeated by Dan Sullivan (R) in the general election, putting an end to the most expensive campaign in state history at that time. Given that a combined total of $39 million of satellite spending was used to target approximately 500,000 potential swing voters, the race was also the most expensive race, per capita, in the 2014 election cycle.^[3]

Begich held one of the most vulnerable Senate seats going into the 2014 election. He had only served one term in the Senate and was a Democrat seeking re-election in a red state. This, combined with the unpopularity of the Affordable Care Act and Begich's support for it, made this an uphill battle for the incumbent. Begich himself believed he lost the race due to voters' disapproval of Obama, not Begich's own record.^[4]

Both Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball rated the race as a toss up.^[5]^[6] Additionally, FiscalTimes listed it as one of the seven most vulnerable seats in the country, and The Washington Post included it on their list of the top 10 races to watch in 2014.^[7]

Four Republican candidates stepped up to challenge Begich: former Commissioner of Natural Resources Dan Sullivan, Lt. Gov Mead Treadwell, Joe Miller and John Jaramillo. Sullivan, the Republican front runner in the race, triumphed over the other candidates in the primary on August 19, 2014. Sullivan led the field in both fundraising totals and polling numbers throughout the months leading up to the primary.

Begich faced Sullivan and a number of minor party challengers in the general election. Minor party candidates were predicted to have a large impact in the race, as the winner of the Senate race in both 2008 and 2010 won without a majority of the vote. Begich won the seat over former incumbent Ted Stevens (R) by 1.3 percent in 2008, while minor party candidates took in more than 5 percent of the vote in that election. Minor party candidates again took in over 5 percent of the vote in 2014. However, it was not enough to swing the race back in Begich's favor.^[8]

Candidate Filing Deadline	Primary Election	General Election
June 2, 2014	August 19, 2014	November 4, 2014

Primary: Alaska uses a top-four primary for congressional and state-level offices. Under Alaska's top-four primary system, all candidates for a given office run in a single primary election. The top four vote-getters, regardless of partisan affiliation, then advance to the general election.^[9]^[10]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Voter registration: To vote in the primary, voters had to register by July 20, 2014.^[11] For the general election, the voter registration deadline was October 5, 2014.^[12]

See also: Alaska elections, 2014

Incumbent: The election filled the Senate seat held by Mark Begich (D). Begich was first elected in 2008.

Candidates[edit]

General election candidates[edit]

Sid Hill (Write-in)

August 19, 2014, primary results
ADL Primary^[13]

Mark Begich - Incumbent

Zachary Kile (Alaskan Independence Party)

Vic Kohring (Alaskan Independence Party)

Republican Primary

John Jaramillo
Mead Treadwell - Lieutenant Governor
Joe Miller
Daniel S. Sullivan - Alaska Natural Resources Commissioner a

Unaffiliated candidates

Ted Gianoutsos
Sid Hill (Write-in)

Withdrew[edit]

Vic Kohring - Kohring withdrew in early September and endorsed Dan Sullivan^[14]

Thom Walker - Walker withdrew from the race after winning the primary. He was replaced by Mark Fish on the general election ballot.^[15]

Rumored but did not run[edit]

Sarah Palin

Election results[edit]

General election[edit]

**U.S. Senate, Alaska General Election, 2014**
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Dan Sullivan	48%	135,445
	Democratic	Mark Begich Incumbent	45.8%	129,431
	Libertarian	Mark Fish	3.7%	10,512
	Independent	Ted Gianoutsos	2%	5,636
	N/A	Write-in	0.5%	1,376
Total Votes				282,400
Source: Alaska Secretary of State

Primary election[edit]

**U.S. Senate, Alaska Democratic Primary, 2014**
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Mark Begich Incumbent	96.6%	58,092
William Bryk	3.4%	2,024
Total Votes		60,116
Source: Alaska Secretary of State

**U.S. Senate, Alaska Republican Primary, 2014**
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Dan Sullivan	40.1%	44,740
Joe Miller	32.1%	35,904
Mead Treadwell	24.9%	27,807
John Jaramillo	2.9%	3,246
Total Votes		111,697
Source: Alaska Secretary of State

**U.S. Senate, Alaska Libertarian Primary, 2014**
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Thom Walker	61%	3,167
Mark Fish	24.9%	1,290
Scott Kohlhaas	14.1%	734
Total Votes		5,191
Source: Alaska Secretary of State

**U.S. Senate, Alaska, Alaskan Independence Primary, 2014**
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Vic Kohring	57.8%	2,557
Zachary Kile	42.2%	1,869
Total Votes		4,426
Source: Alaska Secretary of State

Race background[edit]

Begich was a Democratic senator in a red state, making his seat one of the most vulnerable in 2014. The unpopularity of President Obama's healthcare mandate, combined with its poor implementation, was a major issue that Begich needed to overcome in order to win re-election.

Sullivan, the Republican frontrunner throughout the race, won the primary election on August 19, 2014.^[16]^[17]^[18]^[19] He then defeated Begich in the general election.

Libertarian support[edit]

Begich's campaign spent considerable effort supporting Libertarian Mark Fish by making sure Fish was included in debates, highlighting issue positions that Begich and Fish shared and even spending money promoting Fish's campaign. Begich's communications director said in a statement, "Since many of the debate hosts won’t include Mr. Fish, Sen. Begich believes it is only fair to give Alaska voters all the information." The goal of this maneuver was to siphon away votes from Sullivan to Fish. Pollster Ivan Moore said of the strategy, "I think Begich is playing a game where if he can shake half a percent off of Sullivan and onto Fish, it’s half a percent that Sullivan hasn’t got. And that may well make the difference.”^[20]

Sullivan's campaign responded to the strategy by stating, "Mark Begich is using a third-party candidate as a political tool in a shameless attempt to try and bolster his own sinking campaign. But, Alaskans know better -- they know that a vote for a third-party candidate is a vote for Mark Begich.”^[20]

Native outreach[edit]

Begich's campaign employed a massive outreach program to Alaska's native population in an attempt to help him turn the tables in his difficult re-election bid. His campaign opened 16 field offices staffed by 90 people across the state, compared to Sullivan's five offices and 14 staffers which were clustered in the more heavily populated southern and eastern regions of the state. Begich said of the campaign, "We have knocked on every single door in rural Alaska. This is unbelievable. No one’s ever done it like this — ever." When polling numbers were brought up Begich responded, "I don’t care if we’re up or down. We’re winning on the ground because we will turn out more voters."^[21]

Murder victim ads[edit]

Begich's campaign released an ad on August 29, 2014, accusing Sullivan of letting a sex offender be released from prison early due to a mistake missing his earlier felony conviction. The criminal then allegedly murdered a couple and sexually assaulted an elderly woman and an infant. The ad referred to the case of Jerry Active, who was awaiting trial at the time of the election.^[22]

In response to Begich's ad, Sullivan released his own, accusing Begich of lying in his claim that Sullivan "let a lot of sex offenders get off with light sentences." Sullivan's campaign also showed that the mistake that led to Jerry Active's release happened before Sullivan became attorney general.^[22]

After both candidates' ads began airing on television, the lawyer of the victims' family asked both candidates to take down their ads. He said that the ads could potentially affect the jury's decision in the upcoming trial. Sullivan's campaign agreed to remove the ad, stating, "Mark Begich began this distasteful and offensive debate, and our campaign is pleased we could play a role along with the victims' attorney to end it."^[23] Begich, however, did not agree to take down his ad. Instead, the ad was altered to "remove any potential reference to the pending criminal case," according to Begich's campaign. In response to this, the family's lawyer, Bryon Collins, sent a letter to Begich's campaign asking to remove all ads and references to the case. The letter said, "You are tearing this family apart to the point that your ad was so shocking to them they now want to permanently leave the state as quickly as possible. Again, to be perfectly clear, it was your ad that shocked them."^[24]

Debates[edit]

Begich and Sullivan participated in their first debate on August 27, 2014. The debate was hosted in Anchorage by the group United for Liberty. Begich presented himself as the more experienced candidate who knows how Congress operates, while Sullivan emphasized a distrust of Congress. A straw poll was taken following the debate, which showed Begich as the winner due to larger support from Independent voters.^[25]

Campaign spending[edit]

Put Alaska First, a super PAC that supported incumbent Begich, announced plans to buy over $4 million in ads prior to the general election.^[26] In response to this news, a number of Republican groups reserved airtime following the primary. Sullivan bought $480,000 in ads from September 23 through November 4. American Crossroads reserved $5.5 million in ads, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee also reserved $2.2 million in ads.^[27]^[28]

Minor party candidates[edit]

Minor party candidates were expected to play a large role in this election. In 2010 and 2008, a candidate won election to the U.S. Senate without a majority of the votes. Begich defeated incumbent Ted Stevens (R) to win the seat in 2008 by 1.3 percent, while minor party candidates took in over 5 percent of the vote. These candidates were ultimately not enough for Begich's re-election efforts to succeed, although minor party candidates did take in over 5 percent of the vote in 2014.^[8]

Primary endorsements[edit]

On August 14, 2014, Joe Miller agreed to endorse the winner of the Republican primary in order to help defeat Begich in November. Prior to this announcement, Miller had not ruled out a potential run as an independent in November if he were defeated in the primary. Sullivan and Mead Treadwell had previously agreed to back the winner of the GOP primary.^[29]

Democratic meddling[edit]

An outside group, Put Alaska First PAC, spent over $4 million in ads opposing GOP front-runner Sullivan. Republicans accused the group and Democrats of "meddling" in the GOP primary in an attempt to face an easier general election race. Supporters of incumbent Begich said that the ads were not meant for the primary and had general election appeal. Art Hackney, a Republican operative in Alaska, said of the ads, "They’re trying simply to make sure Dan Sullivan is damaged goods. They’ve put a lot of money behind it, and, frankly, they’ve turned it into a primary that’s possible to go almost any way."^[30]

Race ratings[edit]

Most vulnerable seats[edit]

The Fiscal Times compiled a list of the seven most vulnerable Senate seats up for election in 2014. The seven included in the list were: Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Dakota and West Virginia. Going into the 2014 election, all seven seats were held by Democrats.^[7]

Early polling indicated that Gov. Sean Parnell (R) could have been Begich’s strongest opponent, but Parnell decided not to enter the race. The seat was considered a toss-up.^[7]

Washington Post top 10 races[edit]

According to an analysis by The Washington Post, the U.S. Senate election in Alaska was considered one of the top 10 Senate races of 2014. When Alaska attorney general Dan Sullivan entered the race in late 2013, the Republican primary field became even more murky.^[31]

Issues[edit]

See also: Energy and the 2014 election: the ballots and beyond

ISIS[edit]

Following President Barack Obama's speech on September 10, 2014, about military action against ISIS, incumbent Mark Begich said the following: "I just don’t believe the president’s right on funding the rebels. I still don’t come away with a feeling that we know who they are. We may know who they are today, but what are they going to be like six months from now?" He also said that other countries in the region should be the ones to fight the terrorist group on the ground. "They should be the ones putting boots on the ground. They should be the ones putting money on the table to support the weapons and the training and so forth. They are the most at risk.”^[32]

Sullivan's residency[edit]

Residency issues plagued Sullivan since his entry into the race. It was questioned whether Sullivan was eligible for a Maryland tax break known as the Homestead exemption that he had been receiving on his Maryland home. Sullivan was benefiting from the tax break in 2008, while at the same time voting in Alaska by mail. It was ruled that Sullivan properly received the tax breaks. In response to the investigation and ruling Sullivan's campaign said, "Mark Begich's liberal allies have made it abundantly clear he is willing to say or do anything to shamefully distort Dan's record, and this time was clearly no different."^[33]

Mark Begich[edit]

Begich's campaign website listed the following issues among others. For a full list of issue statements, click here.

“

Fiscal Responsibility: "After watching Washington rack up a $16 trillion national debt, I knew we had to focus on fiscal discipline for our country. I have been working across party lines to cut wasteful federal spending—large and small. I supported a balanced budget amendment. And I have refused to take a pay raise every year since I’ve been elected."

Economy and Jobs: "My top priority is growing Alaska’s economy by creating good jobs right now for Alaskans and investing in critical infrastructure such as roads, bridges, ports and harbors to help create jobs. I secured more than $1 billion to build and fix Alaska’s infrastructure, to create new jobs and expand our economy."

Veterans: "When I was elected to the Senate, I immediately sought and secured a seat on the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. With more than 76,000 veterans in Alaska—the most per capita in the nation—we must focus on the critical need for expanded veteran’s health care, job training and placement, mental health support and housing assistance."

Energy: "From day one in the Senate, I have championed efforts to get a comprehensive energy bill which capitalizes on Alaska’s role as America’s energy storehouse. Alaskans know first-hand the many options to reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil and create new jobs. We have vast opportunities for increased oil and gas development and renewable energy deployment."

Women and Families: "I’ve always been proud that one of my first votes in the Senate was for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. To me, fair pay for women in the workplace isn’t a complicated issue — it all comes down to basic fairness. The Lilly Ledbetter Act was the kind of common sense, bipartisan solution we need more of in Washington."

^[34]

”

—Mark Begich's campaign website, http://www.markbegich.com/priorities/

Dan Sullivan[edit]

Sullivan's campaign website listed the following issues among others. For a full list of issue statements, click here.

“

Protecting Alaskans: "Working to protect Alaskans, particularly the most vulnerable, has always been a critical component of Dan’s public service career. Having the opportunity to serve in a leadership role to find solutions to these critical issues has been an honor."

Jobs & The Economy: "The Obama Administration has failed to get the economy moving forward, resulting in one of the weakest recoveries from a recession in our nation’s history. Millions of Americans can’t find work."

2nd Amendment: "As a Marine-qualified “expert” on the rifle and pistol, Dan is a strong advocate and defender of our Second Amendment rights. Americans are protected by the Constitution to keep and bear arms. However, President Obama and Senate Democrats have taken steps to infringe on those rights, and they must be stopped."

Energy & Natural Resources: "Given Alaska’s world-class resource base and strategic global location, our natural resource potential can lead America into a new era of economic prosperity. As Commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources, Dan defended the state’s economic interests and worked with the private sector to maximize Alaska’s full economic potential. His work has focused on getting big things done for Alaska, and when necessary, aggressively fighting back against those who try to shutdown or delay economic opportunities for our citizens."

Healthcare: "Access to affordable and quality healthcare is an extremely important issue to Alaskans, and it is critical for policy makers to achieve that goal. At the same time, we must revive our national economy and rein in the trillions of dollars of deficits that the Obama Administration has run over the past five years."

^[34]

”

—Dan Sullivan's campaign website, http://www.sullivan2014.com/

Republican primary[edit]

Obama impeachment[edit]

In a debate the week prior to the primary, candidate Joe Miller insisted that, "It’s time to impeach this president for dereliction of duty, selectively enforcing the law, and usurping powers that the Constitution does not authorize. He is willfully undermining the rule of law and creating chaos." Miller also called on the other Republican candidates in the race to join his support of the impeachment. Neither candidate took him up on his offer.^[35]

As a result of his call for impeachment, Miller's popularity on Facebook surged. This popularity increase was measured by "People Talking About This" data or PTAT. Miller's PTAT statistic increased by over 30 times its average in the past several months and surpassed that of both Sullivan and Treadwell.^[35] In the end, Miller was unable to overcome Sullivan's primary lead. However, he did take second place in the Republican primary.^[36]

Immigration[edit]

Miller emphasized immigration as a key issue in this race. During a debate held on August 10, 2014, Miller asked primary opponents Treadwell and Sullivan to sign an anti-amnesty pledge reading, "I will oppose any attempt by Congress or the President to grant amnesty (any pathway to citizenship) for illegal aliens." Both Treadwell and Sullivan refused to sign the pledge.^[37]

Mead Treadwell[edit]

Treadwell's campaign website listed the following issues among others. For a full list of issue statements, click here.

“

Healthcare: "America’s healthcare system needs reform but Obamacare is not the reform we need. I will work to repeal Obamacare. Already businesses across the country are dropping coverage for spouses, cutting back hours for their employees and insurance premiums are up. Their idea: more government dependence. This is unacceptable. Obamacare is making it harder for Alaskans to support their families and it is a dangerous program that we cannot afford."

Energy: "The President has a pipeline problem and it is not just called Keystone. Misguided federal energy and environmental policies have been devastating to Alaska and our country. The Trans-Alaska oil pipeline is running less than one-third full. Under President Obama, exploration in the Arctic has slowed to a crawl and the acreage for exploration in the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska has been cut in half. I know Alaska can be the engine that drives America."

Second Amendment: "The Second Amendment protects our right to self-defense. Law-abiding citizens have the right to keep and bear arms, plain and simple. I will defend the right for Alaskans to defend their families and their homes. The U.S. Senate Majority today is working to erode our Second Amendment rights and Mark Begich supports their leadership. I will oppose all efforts to water down the Second Amendment."

Sanctity of Life: "Government exists to protect our rights and liberties - not to take them away. I believe that this protection extends to all lives, including the unborn. Every person has a purpose and path in the world and I firmly believe life begins at conception. Three years ago, I worked with pro-life groups to pass the parental notification initiative and I have fought to make it work. I do not believe government money should support abortion."

Traditional Marriage: "As your Lieutenant Governor I have sworn an oath to defend our state’s constitution and our constitution clearly states marriage is between one man and one woman. Marriage is a sacrament of the church and I will defend traditional marriage as it is defined by our state’s constitution."

^[34]

”

—Mead Treadwell's campaign website, https://web.archive.org/web/2/http://www.treadwellalaska.com/issues

Key votes[edit]

Below are important votes the incumbent cast.

Government shutdown[edit]

See also: United States budget debate, 2013

During the shutdown in October 2013, the Senate rejected, down party lines, every House-originated bill that stripped the budget of funding for the Affordable Care Act. A deal was reached late on October 16, 2013, just hours before the debt ceiling deadline. The bill to reopen the government, H.R. 2775, lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies.^[38] The final vote on H.R. 2775 was 81-18, with all 18 votes against the bill from Republican members. Mark Begich voted with the Democratic Party for the bill.^[39]

Obamacare[edit]

Begich voted in favor of H.R. 3590 (The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act). The bill passed the Senate 60-39 on December 24, 2009.^[40]

Endorsements[edit]

Governor Sean Parnell decided to stay neutral in the Republican primary and did not endorse either his lieutenant governor, Mead Treadwell, or his former director of natural resources, Dan Sullivan. He stated, "I think both could be excellent U.S. senators, so I’ve chosen to stay out of taking an official position."^[41]

Dan Sullivan[edit]

Club for Growth PAC: Former Club President Chris Chocola said, "Dan Sullivan is a fiscal conservative with a stellar track record in Alaska and we strongly endorse him for the United States Senate. Dan has fought for pro-growth tax reform, taken on ObamaCare in court, and beaten back federal overreach by Obama’s EPA. In the Senate, Dan Sullivan will continue the fight for economic freedom and we can’t wait to see him help deliver for America the kinds of pro-growth policies he’s already delivered for Alaska."^[42]

Condoleezza Rice: Rice endorsed Sullivan in a campaign ad for American Crossroads. In the ad she said, "Dan Sullivan is tireless in his defense of this country. He showed that in his service in the military, and he showed that in his service in the White House and in the State Department. Now, Dan faces political attacks because he wanted his family by his side. Remember that serving our country required some time in our capital. Dan will be a great senator because he loves and cares for the state of Alaska, and he's a great family man."^[43]

Support and Defend PAC: The national veterans group endorsed Sullivan in late July 2014. President and founder Grant Moody said, "We are excited to endorse Dan. We are confident he’ll be a strong voice for the values of economic freedom and good governance that we champion, and that he’ll represent the state of Alaska with the clarity of focus and strength of character that have been instilled in him throughout his military service in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve."^[44]

Joe Miller[edit]

Sarah Palin, who said in her endorsement statement, "We said we'd send the good guys in Washington their reinforcements, so, Alaska, here we go! Vote for Joe Miller on Tuesday and shake off the liberal stronghold so we can get on the right track."^[45]

Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who said in his endorsement statement, "Joe Miller is a true constitutional conservative with a vision to protect our borders and restore America".^[46]

The Gun Owners of America’s Political Victory Fund and the National Association for Gun Rights PAC, two of the most prominent groups which advocate Second Amendment rights, endorsed Miller.^[47]

Alaska Right to Life PAC: "The pro-life position Joe Miller takes isn’t merely a common political platitude, but is centered in the core of who he is. Joe will be a champion for the pro-life cause in Washington and is exactly the caliber of man we need representing Alaska in the US Senate. Alaska Right to Life’s Political Action Committee is proud to endorse him."^[48]

Mead Treadwell[edit]

RedState Editor-in-Chief Erick Erickson: Treadwell "is better on the stand your ground law in Alaska than his opponent."^[49]

Media[edit]

Begich released a radio ad on August 19, 2013, highlighting his opposition to the No Child Left Behind Act. The ad stated that the No Child Left Behind Act does not work with the diversity of Alaska's schools.^[50]

Dan Sullivan[edit]

Supporting[edit]

Ad in which Condoleezza Rice defends Dan Sullivan

Sullivan for U.S. Senate: "Service"

Sullivan for U.S. Senate: "Big Heart"

Sullivan for U.S. Senate: "Cheap Talk"

Sullivan for U.S. Senate: "Basin"

Alaska's Energy, America's Values ad supporting Sullivan in the primary

Sullivan for U.S. Senate: "Values"

Sullivan for U.S. Senate: "Running"

Condoleezza Rice: "America Needs Dan Sullivan"

Opposing[edit]

Put Alaska First released four ads opposing Sullivan.^[51] VoteVets.org also released an ad opposing Sullivan for not protecting the rights of Alaskans.^[52]

Put Alaska First - Sullivan's Real Home

Put Alaska First - Lost

Put Alaska First ad opposing the Koch brothers

Put Alaska First - Never Forget

VoteVets.org ad opposing Sullivan

Begich campaign video using clips of what Sullivan's primary challengers said to oppose him

National Education Association ad opposing Sullivan for selling out state teachers