Begich Chides Rubio On Eve Of Alaska Primary

;

Being an Alaskan, the struggle is real.. You have to put up with the questions about living in igloos or snowshoeing to work. “No, we don’t know ‘your cousin Steve’ that moved up here in ‘86.”  You have to endure the ridiculousness of the 1800 unrealistic reality shows about our home state. And the EPA should ban whatever neurotoxin is emitted by car air fresheners that causes cabbies around the world to mishear your response of “Alaska” to their “so where are you visiting from” inquiry as “please tell me every thought you’ve ever had about Sarah Palin.”

Yes, when you are Alaskan, you have to put up with a lot. But perhaps the most pervasive annoyance has to be our representation on national maps. Alaska is shrunk down and dangled there off to the left like we are a quaint island retreat off the coast of Los Angeles.

And that is when we even make it on the map at all.

For instance, the logo of  Republican U.S. Presidential candidate, Senator Marco Rubio. See how they dot the “i” with ‘Murrica right there.

See what is missing?  Yup, all of us in Alaska.  Oh, and Hawaii, too. The struggle is so real.

Alaska’s former U.S. Senator Mark Begich isn’t having it. Last week he sent Sen. Rubio a letter saying:

“While our great state might seem far away to some, we are following along with the Presidential campaigns and our country’s future just as closely as everyone in the Lower 48.

That is why I was so surprised and disappointed to see you speak recently standing in front of a backdrop featuring your logo – which fails to include both Alaska and Hawaii.”

Here is the full letter Begich sent to Rubio:

In an interview this morning Begich said this is far from the first time he’s called someone out for ignoring Alaska in their logos or advertising “I’m notorious for pointing this out to people.”  He said he’s got a wall in his office with letters he’s sent to groups including British Petroleum (BP), The National Coal Association, and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) and their corrected advertising putting Alaska and Hawaii back in the United States.

Rubio has heard this particular complaint about his logo before. Immediately after he launched his Presidential campaign in April of 2015 reporters and media outlets widely reported the oversight. The online news site BusinessInsider.com reported at the time:

“Karl Gude, a graphics professor at Michigan State University and a former graphics artist at Newsweek and the Associated Press, told Business Insider, for example, that the America dotting the “i” in Rubio was missing Alaska and Hawaii.

“The map feels like an afterthought,” Gude said. “He just lost the Alaska and Hawaii vote.”

The timing of his letter isn’t lost on Begich. Tomorrow Alaska Republicans will go to party administered voting locations around the state to divy up 25 of Alaska’s 28 delegates to the national convention among the various candidates for President. “Come Super Tuesday you’d think he’d want Alaska’s 28 delegates, but first you gotta know Alaska exists.” said Begich.

As Super Tuesday approaches what little polling has been done in Alaska shows Rubio trailing far behind Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz. Nationally, Rubio trails Trump in state by state polls and delegate count.

Art and April Hackney, who the Alaska Republican Party has reported are leading Rubio’s efforts in Alaska did not immediately respond this morning for a request to comment on this story.