Begich Win in Alaska Means 58 Pro-Worker Senators

by Seth Michaels, Nov 19, 2008

U.S. Sen.-elect Mark Begich

Big news out of Alaska last night: As the final votes were counted, Mark Begich took the lead over incumbent Sen. Ted Stevens, and Begich will be headed to the U.S. Senate for the next six years, joining a strong pro-worker majority.

As of the latest totals, Begich has defeated Stevens—who has held the seat since 1968—by 3,724 votes, just over 1 percent of the votes cast. With the margin this close and some absentee ballots left to be counted, a recount is still possible.

Union volunteers worked hard to elect Begich through door-to-door walks, phone banks, worksite visits and local union mail, and clearly, every vote mattered in this tight race. Just before Election Day, Begich spoke to Labor 2008 volunteers about the stakes in the race and the importance of getting out the vote.

We are not leaving anything to chance, no matter what the circumstances that are out there. We are not going to take anything for granted. We are going to work double time. And you folks have been unbelievable, what the labor movement has done….I see it everywhere I go. It’s a fantastic support base out there. You folks are going to make the difference.

With this narrow victory, it’s obvious that Begich had it right: The hard work of union voters put him over the top.

Begich’s win means that working families have added seven seats this election, for a total of 58 pro-worker votes. Begich will join other new senators in supporting the Employee Free Choice Act and fighting for strong pro-worker policies on jobs, trade and health care.

Two races have yet to be decided. A recount begins today in an extremely tight race in Minnesota, while the Senate race in Georgia will be decided in a Dec. 2 runoff. You can help support Minnesota’s Al Franken and Georgia’s Jim Martin, the pro-worker candidates in these contests, here.

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Paid for by the AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education Political Contributions Committee, www.aflcio.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.

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