Republican Who Questioned Election Results Will Challenge Murkowski In Primary
Topline
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) now faces a primary challenge from a candidate who – like former President Donald Trump, who has vowed to back a primary challenge to the moderate senator – cast doubt on the results of the 2020 election.
In this photo taken Feb. 6, 2020, Alaska Department of Administration Commissioner Kelly Tshibaka … [+]
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Key Facts
Kelly Tshibaka, Alaska’s Commissioner of Administration, described herself as “unapologetically pro-life” and repeatedly took aim at “D.C. insiders” in a video announcing her candidacy.
Tshibaka vowed to be a “strong, independent Alaskan leader,” alleging Murkowski “thinks the same way” as others in Washington D.C. after more than 18 years serving in the Senate.
Days after the election was called for President Joe Biden, Tshibaka penned an op-ed for local outlet Must Read Alaska echoing several of Trump’s unfounded voter fraud claims, including that thousands of dead people voted and that a voting machine “glitch” switched votes from Trump to Biden, which she called “credible.”
Murkowski, by contrast, congratulated Biden on his victory the day the election was called, and in a statement on voting to convict Trump last month, she chalked up the claims to the ex-president doing “everything in his power to stay in power.”
In its censure of Murkowski earlier this month, the Alaska GOP cited her votes on impeachment, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, abortion and the affordable care act and vowed to recruit a primary opponent while fighting to prevent her from being the Republican candidate.
Murkowski has not yet said whether she will run for reelection, but she is favored to win in large part due to Alaska adopting ranked-choice voting, as well as the fact she won reelection in 2010 in a write-in bid after being defeated from the right in the GOP primary.
Forbes has reached out to Tshibaka and Murkowski’s offices for comment.
Key Background
Tshibaka has served in a number of roles in the federal government including chief data officer for the U.S. Postal Service’s inspector general under both Trump and former President Barack Obama. According to Fox, she has also worked for the inspectors general of the Department of Justice, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the Federal Trade Commission.
Surprising Fact
Tshibaka doesn’t address election fraud claims in her video, but appears to allude to them while talking about her record. “I’m not one of those powerful political insiders. Quite the opposite. For years I sought to expose waste and fraud in government,” she said. “Those insiders didn’t like that very much.”
Big Number
7. That’s how many Senate Republicans voted to convict Trump on one charge of inciting the Jan. 6 attack. Most of them have faced backlash from their parties – though the Utah GOP declined to go after Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) – but Murkowski is the only one of them up for reelection in 2022.
Crucial Quote
“Few people know where they’ll be in two years from now, but I do, in the Great State of Alaska (which I love) campaigning against Senator Lisa Murkowski,” Trump said in June after Murkowski said she was “struggling” with whether to vote for him. Trump said he would endorse any opponent “good or bad,” declaring, “I don’t care, I’m endorsing. If you have a pulse, I’m with you!”
Tangent
Several other high-profile Trump backers have expressed interest in challenging Murkowski, including former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and Fox News host Laura Ingraham.
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