Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska (Becky Bohrer, AP)
Unlike some Democratic Senate candidates, incumbent Mark Begich of Alaska is willing to say he voted for President Obama.But he’s also found a way to distance himself from the president, who is unpopular in reddish Alaska.
“I did (vote for him), but that’s irrelevant,” Begich told the Washington Examiner. “The president’s not relevant. He’s gone in two years.”
Begich is in a tough fight with Republican Dan Sullivan.
Begich’s comment stands out because Alison Lundergan Grimes, who is in a tight race in Kentucky, has refused repeatedly to say whether she voted for Obama in 2008 and 2012. Michelle Nunn, Georgia’s Democratic Senate nominee, has said she voted for Obama but also notes he’ll only be president for two more years.
Speaking with the Examiner, Begich emphasized his disagreements with the president.
“Obama tried to take away our F-16s in Fairbanks … I disagreed with him. He wanted to fund the rebels in Syria. I disagreed with him. He wanted to do the gun control bill. I disagreed with him.”Begich continued:
“I’ve disagreed plenty with Obama, but that’s not an issue to me. It’s where we are today, it’s the next six years. He’s gone in two. Whoever’s the next U.S. senator will be dealing with a new president. That’s the bottom line.”
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