Kelly Tshibaka addresses members of the community at Nikiski Hardware & Supply on Friday, April 9, 2021 in Nikiski, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Kelly Tshibaka addresses members of the community at Nikiski Hardware & Supply on Friday, April 9, 2021 in Nikiski, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Peninsula campaign cash going to Tshibaka

Tshibaka raised about $1.2 million between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30.

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.

More in News

The Sterling Highway crosses the Kenai River near the Russian River Campground on March 15, 2020, near Cooper Landing, Alaska. (Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Russian River Campground closed for construction

The campground is expected to reopen on June 2

A man fishes in the Kenai River on July 16, 2018, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Peninsula Clarion/file)
Fish and Game announces series of closures and restrictions for king salmon fisheries

Cook Inlet king salmon stocks are experiencing a prolonged period of poor productivity, the department said

Montessori materials sit on shelves in a classroom at Soldotna Montessori Charter School on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Education debate draws state attention to peninsula charter schools

Dunleavy would like to see a shift of authority over charter school approvals from local school districts to the state

The Nikiski Senior Center stands under sunlight in Nikiski, Alaska, on Thursday, March 14, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Support available for community caregivers

Nikiski Senior Center hosts relaunched Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program

Flags flank the entrance to Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s office on Thursday, March 14, 2024, in Juneau, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Dunleavy vetoes bipartisan education bill

Senate Bill 140 passed the House by a vote of 38-2 and the Senate by a vote of 18-1 last month

The Alaska State Capitol on Friday, March 1, 2024, in Juneau, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
House passes bill altering wording of sex crimes against children

The bill is sponsored by Rep. Sarah Vance, R-Homer

Ben Meyer and Brandon Drzazgowski present to the Soldotna and Kenai Chambers of Commerce at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska, on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai Watershed Forum gives update on streambank restoration

The watershed forum and other organizations are working to repair habitat and mitigate erosion

The entrance to the Kenai Police Department, as seen in Kenai, Alaska, on April 1, 2020. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai resident arrested on charges of arson

Kenai Police and Kenai Fire Department responded to a structure fire near Mountain View Elementary

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski, speaks in opposition to an executive order that would abolish the Board of Certified Direct-Entry Midwives during a joint legislative session on Tuesday, March 12, 2024 in Juneau, Alaska. (Ashlyn O'Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Legislature kills most of Dunleavy’s executive orders in rare joint session

All the proposed orders would have shuffled or eliminated the responsibilities of various state boards

Most Read