OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 9:43 AM PT – Thursday, November 24, 2022
Lisa Murkowski takes victory over Kelly Tshibaka in Alaska’s highly anticipated Senate race.
The unique battle between Incumbent Senator Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Trump-backed challenger Tshibaka (R-Alaska) for Alaska’s Senate seat was in the spotlight this election cycle.
Before announcing her candidacy, Tshibaka obtained a law degree from Harvard University in 2002 and went on to work as the Commissioner of the Department of Administration of the State of Alaska. She was also the special assistant to the Department of Justice’s Inspector General.
On the campaign trail, Tshibaka emphasized that it’s time for a change. The Alaska native is a mother of five and affirmed that she wanted to run for Senate to stand up and make the government work for the people.
Murkowski has held Alaska’s seat in the Senate since 1981. The incumbent was first appointed to the seat by her father, Frank Murkowski (R-Alaska), in 2002 after he was elected Governor. She went on to win a full term in 2004, but lost to a Tea Party primary challenger in 2010.
Murkowski faced backlash from members of the GOP on the campaign trial, as she’s more of a moderate and highlights her efforts to work across the aisle.
“This race is about who can deliver best for Alaska,” Murkowski said. “Through my seniority and ability to work across party lines, I’m getting real results for Alaska.”
Tshibaka argued that Murkowski votes against Alaskans best interest. Her campaign focused on standing up for the people of the Frontier State and fixing the resource industries and loss of job opportunities seen under the Biden Administration.
“I will actually knock-on Alaskans’ doors and visit them in their homes while in office,” Tshibaka said. “This would be in contrast to Lisa Murkowski, who hasn’t knocked on many Alaskans’ doors in the past 20 years, but has visited Vice President Kamala Harris’ home to have dinner with her.”
The Associated Press called the race in favor of Murkowski on Wednesday, November 23rd.
Murkowski won with 53.7% of the vote or 135,972 votes compared to Tshibaka’s 46.3% or 117,299 votes.