AK-Sen: Begich Sounding Like a Candidate

Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich recently spent some time hobnobbing in DC, getting the royal treatment from Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer as they attempt to recruit him to take on crusty Republican Sen. Ted Stevens next year.  Begich sat down with local NBC affiliate KTUU for an interview about the race.  While he hasn’t yet committed to the race, I can’t help but get the sense that he’s planning on running.  Here are some relevant excerpts:

Mayor Mark Begich: I think no matter what happens in ’08 both Ted Stevens and Don Young are going to have very competitive races.

Going to Washington D.C. and being asked to sit with seven U.S. senators throughout the day and talk to them about their issues, in recruiting me, but also my issues about Alaska and Anchorage; I think for the first time in a long time some very positive attention was paid to our state. It was very humbling and from my perspective a great opportunity for us as a city.

I think a lot of things are changing. I think people are looking for a new generation of leadership. They’re looking for fresh, new ideas. If you ask people how they feel about the country, only 40 percent feel it’s moving in the right direction. The rest think it’s not. I think a lot of people are looking for a new type of leadership and I haven’t made a decision.

I get asked whether I’ll run every day but as mayor of this city there are many things we’re still working on and focused on for the next several months. […]

The days of going and just slicing up the pie and delivering bacon back are long over. Those days are gone. The senator is in the minority. The changing demographics of the state are making an impact as to who’s going to serve in Washington, D.C.

Setting the track for who is going to be in Congress for the next 20 or 30 years is going to be important. Now, it’s clear that the majority, if you listen to anybody, Democrats are going to be in control of the U.S. Senate.

I think that if I was in the race, that’s what I’d be offering. But right now I think people are examining what I’ve done as mayor and are feeling very positive that I would be a good candidate and a good representative for this state.

I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a guy who has given the race a great deal of thought and is mentally preparing himself for a run.  But when can we expect a decision?  Don’t hold your breath:

News: What’s your timeline on a decision?

Begich: Well, filing deadline is June 1.

Remember, Begich has a history of waiting until the last minute to run for office:

But in an interview with CQPolitics.com last week, Begich suggested that the outside pressure to decide is unlikely to have any effect on his time line for making a decision. “My history tells you the answer,” he said, citing his decision to enter the 2003 mayor’s race just two days before that year’s filing deadline.

So don’t expect a Begich candidacy to blossom until springtime, perhaps.  But the signs are looking good that he’ll run.