Retire the Alaskan Snow-Blower
In a statement, Tshibaka, a Republican, said she’s running "for the Alaskans who believe government is of the people, by the people, and for the people," adding that "the D.C. insiders need to be held accountable to us."
Murkowski has faced backlash from within the Republican Party in recent weeks, coming after she voted to convict former President Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial. The Alaska GOP voted to censure Murkowski over the vote in March, while accusing her of frequently voting against the interests of the party.
"We know what Washington, D.C. thinks about Alaska: We’re here for their benefit, and we won’t put up much of a fight. After nearly 20 years in D.C., Lisa Murkowski thinks the same way," Tshibaka also in a video from her campaign. "But you know what? Nothing scares the D.C. political insiders more than the thought of a strong, independent Alaskan leader in their ranks. One they can’t bully. One they can’t control. One they can’t silence."
It’s not clear yet if Murkowski, who was first appointed to the Senate by her father who was then-Gov. Frank Murkowski in 2002, will seek reelection. Trump announced during a speech in late February that he would move to primary her and other GOP lawmakers who either voted to impeach or convict him.
"She represents her state badly and her country even worse. I do not know where other people will be next year, but I know where I will be—in Alaska campaigning against a disloyal and very bad senator," the former president also said in a statement in February.
Trump alums sign up with new Murkowski opponent
[MSN] Kelly Tshibaka, the state commissioner of administration, announced Monday that she would step down from her state job and challenge Murkowski, a vocal critic of Donald Trump
...Oh, noze! Not him!...whom the former president has vowed to oppose in next year’s midterm elections.
Tshibaka has tapped National Public Affairs, a consulting firm made up of Trump’s top 2020 campaign advisers, to help oversee her effort. Former Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien, deputy campaign manager Justin Clark and battleground states director Nick Trainer, who relaunched the firm after the presidential election, will serve as Tshibaka’s senior advisers.
The candidate has also signed on Tim Murtaugh, who was communications director on Trump’s reelection effort, to serve as a senior communications adviser. Mary Ann Pruitt, an Alaska-based political consultant who was a senior figure on Murkowski’s successful 2016 reelection campaign, has abandoned the senator and is working for Tshibaka.
The involvement underscores Trumpworld’s antipathy toward Murkowski, who was one of seven Republican senators to vote to convict the former president for his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Related:
Lisa Murkowski: 2021-02-15 John Brennan says senators who didn't vote to impeach 'should forever hang their heads in shame'
Lisa Murkowski: 2021-02-14 Our President gives his 'deepest thanks' after second acquittal
Lisa Murkowski: 2021-02-10 Senate votes trial constitutional; six Republicans vote 'yes'
Lisa Murkowski: 2021-02-15 John Brennan says senators who didn't vote to impeach 'should forever hang their heads in shame'
Lisa Murkowski: 2021-02-14 Our President gives his 'deepest thanks' after second acquittal
Lisa Murkowski: 2021-02-10 Senate votes trial constitutional; six Republicans vote 'yes'