U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski has far outraised her challenger Kelly Tshibaka in the 2022 race for the U.S. Senate, but Tshibaka has more financial support from Kenai Peninsula residents. That’s according to the latest round of campaign finance data filed with the Federal Election Commission.
U.S. Senate hopeful Kelly Tshibaka raised about $1.2 million between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30, according to FEC data. Tshibaka is the former commissioner of the Alaska Department of Administration and has also worked as the chief data officer for the U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General and the acting inspector general of the Federal Trade Commission. She holds a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School and a bachelor’s from Texas A&M University
About a quarter of Tshibaka’s contributions — about $280,000 — came from people in Alaska, while the rest came from states around the country, including Virginia, Texas, Florida and California, to name a few. Roughly one-third of Tshibaka’s individual contributions were less than $200 each. She ended the quarter with about $300,000 cash on hand.
Tshibaka has made several campaign stops on the Kenai Peninsula since filing to run for the U.S. Senate earlier this year and has reported support from several well-known peninsula names — State Rep. Sarah Vance, former Chief of Staff for Gov. Mike Dunleavy Tuckerman Babcock and Kenai City Council members Jim Glendening and Deborah Sounart, to name a few.
Murkowski raised about $4.6 million during the same time period, for comparison. Murkowski has not yet stated whether she plans to run for reelection in 2022. Her campaign filed paperwork last month that allows her to continue fundraising, but in order to enter the race as a candidate, she will need to file with the State of Alaska.
About 3% of Murkowski’s contributions have come from people in Alaska, while others have come from around the country, including New York, Texas, California and Virginia. Roughly 3% of Murkowski’s individual contributions were less than $200 each. She ended the quarter with about $3.2 million worth of cash on hand.
Murkowski was appointed to the U.S. Senate in 2002 to a seat made vacant by the resignation of her father, Frank H. Murkowski, and was successfully elected to the seat in 2004. She received a B.A. in Economics from Georgetown University and Juris Doctor from Willamette College of Law. She served as an attorney with the Anchorage District Court from 1987 to 1989 and in the Alaska House of Representatives from 1999 to 2002.
In the U.S. Senate, Murkowski serves on the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. She is also the vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.
FEC finance data can be viewed at fec.gov.
Reach reporter Ashlyn O’Hara at ashlyn.ohara@peninsulaclarion.com.
