Kelly Tshibaka Fights Murkowski and McConnell for Alaska Parents

CLAY: One of our favorite guests from the great state of Alaska, who I believe is right now in the middle of a blizzard, if I’m being informed correctly, is Kelly Tshibaka; she is the Republican candidate in the Alaska Senate race. She is trying to replace Lisa Murkowski, despite the fact that Mitch McConnell is spending millions and millions of dollars against her. And I just want to start right there, because I think this is such an important part of this story, Kelly, and thanks for joining us. How much money has the head of the Senate Republican Party, effectively, spent to try to keep you from being elected in favor of Lisa Murkowski, who wasn’t even willing to vote for Brett Kavanaugh to be on the Supreme Court?

TSHIBAKA: Great question. Well, it’s always wonderful to be with you. Thank you for having me. He pledged up to $9 million. So, to give you a grasp of this, that’s more money spent in dark money in our state than both Murkowski and I’ve spent combined in our elections. And when he pledged that money, she said, “Mitch, you’ve always been there for me. I’ll be there for you.” So, there’s this obvious trading of favors that’s happening, and she is clearly wearing the jersey of Team McConnell, Team Biden, Team Pelosi.

We’ve got several candidates on the ballot for House, and she’s endorsed — and is now campaigning with — the only one candidate who will caucus with Nancy Pelosi as speaker of the House. That’s not good for Alaska or for America. This is somebody who is clearly not a Republican. Our Republican Party censured her and removed her from membership before I ever announce my candidacy, and yet McConnell is throwing all this money behind her because she’s an obvious, dependable vote for the establishment. She’s Team D.C., Team Establishment, controlled and bought and bullied by them, and she’s not playing for team Alaska. I think that this is the kind of person that the word “swamp” was created for, a career politician who works for the DC insiders and not for her constituents. And that’s why I’m confident we’re going to win next Tuesday — and if people want to help out and learn more, I’m at KellyForAK.com.

CLAY: Okay. So, building off that, I just want to… $9 million is a lot of money anywhere. It is an absolute landslide of money in Alaska, given, as you just said, the size and scope of money that’s typically spent there, not even enough to get $9 million potentially from Mitch McConnell. They also rigged the way that Alaskans vote to protect Lisa Murkowski.

TSHIBAKA: (chuckling)

CLAY: I think this is important as we’re five days out explain to the nation, but also to Alaskans what’s going on and what they need to do to elect you.

TSHIBAKA: Yeah, I think accurately it’s called the Murkowski Voting System. It’s her allies and campaign staff who were caught in undercover videos disclosing that they deceived Alaskan voters by running a ballot initiative two years ago, saying they would get rid of dark money in Alaska — obviously, that didn’t happen — and so Alaskans voted for it and ushered in ranked choice. That means that we got rid of party primaries. She would have lost her seat in a party primary and instead everybody ran against each other. There are four candidates with the most votes, now go to the general election.

That’s me, Murkowski, a Democrat who only got 6% because the Democrats are voting for Murkowski, and then there was another candidate who since has suspended his campaign and has endorsed me. So functionally, there’s three of us on the ballot. If I don’t cross 50% on election night on round one, then the fourth and the third candidate — the Democrat in the fourth guy — they’ll drop off and their second place votes and third place votes, they’ll go up to me and Murkowski, and whoever has the most votes after those rounds, that’s how they determine the winner.

That’s what makes this race so close. Polls are saying it’s tied 50-50 because of round two and round three, and it’s the closest and least expensive Senate race in the nation. But we have a really, really good chance of winning because I’ve been out there knocking thousands of doors across the state. I’ll be out there today knocking doors in this snowstorm that we’re having, and I’m really confident that Alaskans are ready for a change. My opponent hasn’t knocked a single door in 21 years. She prefers to campaign with these dark money ads from D.C.

But Alaskans, you know, if you’ve got a finger on the pulse, they’re ready for a change. They were tired of watching politicians’ quality-of-life increase while our cost-of-living increases. We still pay the highest amount for gas in the nation, even though we have the chair of the Energy Committee for six years. We lost it two years ago. She is not in line to get the chair of any major committee if she’s reelected. And so people say it’s time for a change.

BUCK: We’re speaking to Kelly Tshibaka. She’s running for Senate up in Alaska. Kelly, first of all, I’m sure it leaves quite an impression to be in the middle of a blizzard. Even in Alaska, in the middle of a blizzard to be knocking on doors saying, “I need your vote,” I’m sure people will remember that. And I’m wondering to what degree you are seeing from those interactions with voters in your state, the on-the-ground version of what the Wall Street Journal has been reporting on this week.

Which is that the monumental swing and the huge difference maker — the reason the Democrats are in full on panic mode — is moms. Moms across the country, moms who aren’t, you know, dyed-in-the-wool liberals, you know, moms who are up for having their minds changed are going Republican because of covid lockdowns, school closures, trans ideology for young children, CRT/Critical Race Theory. How much of that are you coming across in Alaska? And is that perhaps a difference maker for you as you’re trying to close out this race? Really, it’s funny: Close out this race against Murkowski, apparently.

TSHIBAKA: Yeah, absolutely. The parents at the doors are really concerned and they are making a lot of difference. Usually, the interaction goes like this. I open the door, and there’s kids all around, and the parents look at me and kind of give that look. And I say, “Let me guess, you don’t want to talk about politics,” and they say, “That’s right,” and I say, “Me either!” And I say, “You know, look, I got into this race because it’s personal this year. This is my first time doing anything political,” and that’s when they really start to listen. I show them the picture of my five, school-age kids.

I say, “I’m a parent just like you and I’m fighting for our future. My parents were homeless before I was born. My mom got a job on the Slope, which is where we built the pipeline, and that’s what got them into the working class. They had me and we’ve had a great life.” But when I see them shutting down those industries and targeting our jobs and now we don’t have the funds that we need in Alaska to pay for schools? I said, “I’m the bus driver. Are you?” because our busses aren’t running up here and it’s not because of the weather, and they said, “Yeah, I’ve got to take the kids to school every day.”

I said, “This has got to stop.” They’re shutting down our schools. They’re shutting down our busses. Our kids have a literacy rate of 30% in Alaska, and our math proficiency rate hovers around that same level. It’s time for a change. And if we want to see a change, we have to make that change. I said, “I’m fighting for our future. I want our kids to grow up here. I want them to have great opportunities and success, and I don’t want them to shut us down and turn us into a national park for Biden and his radical environmentalists and we all have to move. We’re not a playground, we’re a state, and we get self-determination and autonomy. And why are we being shut down?” And they’re like, “Absolutely,” and I said, “I appreciate your vote. And that’s why we’re seeing a lot of people change their minds.”

CLAY: Okay. Lisa Murkowski is getting $9 million from Mitch McConnell. She rigged that voting job system there, ranked choice, so that she hasn’t already lost the Republican nomination because she would have. She’s now endorsing a Democrat for the House. She’s supporting a Nancy Pelosi ally. You need to win this election. What is the best thing that Alaskans can do to ensure that you win the election? What do you need them to do? How can they make it happen?

TSHIBAKA: Turn out to vote. Bring your friends, bring your family, bring your loved ones. The more people who vote, the better. And then on the bubble sheet next to Kelly Tshibaka, Bubble One and then move on. Your choice. Simple. Just Kelly Tshibaka one and move on. And then anyone who wants to donate — our average donation is $76. The more ads that we can fund in these last couple of days, the better. They absolutely help change minds. We can let people know.

Murkowski says one thing here and does the opposite in D.C. She was running paid ads saying, “Biden’s coming to grab your guns,” while she was working with Biden and McConnell on the gun control legislation and red flag laws that we need to let more people know that because that helps people change their minds and we can turn out the vote and win this race. It’s absolutely winnable. We’re not going to stop until November 9th. So, if you can help, that would really be great. I’m at KellyForAK.com. (crosstalk)

BUCK: I mean, I just to say it again, Clay —

TSHIBAKA: Yeah.

BUCK: I’m sorry.

TSHIBAKA: KellyForAK.com. Yeah.

BUCK: No, tell us your website again.

TSHIBAKA: KellyForAK.com if you want to donate. Thank you.

BUCK: KellyForAK.com. I was going to say, the Murkowski vote for Brett against Brett Kavanaugh rather completely unacceptable and disqualifying. Done. That’s it. That’s all you have to know, folks.

TSHIBAKA: Well, she also joined with the Democrats in trying to filibuster Amy Coney Barrett. Most people don’t remember that. But then she pushed through Ketanji Brown Jackson. (crosstalk)

BUCK: I mean, if I could fire her multiple times, I would. We’re just hoping to fire this time.

TSHIBAKA: (laughing)

CLAY: I think that’s important, though, Kelly. One more time for people out there who are voting, because I think a lot of people are confused by this ranked-choice system. If they want, you — just you — don’t even rank anybody else in the Senate at all. Kelly one, that’s it.

TSHIBAKA: Kelly one, that’s it. And do not do. Kelly has one, two, three and four. The Division of Elections is said they’ll throw those out. So Kelly one and move on. And remember, in our House race, if you don’t want to pull for Pelosi, you have to rank both Nick and Sarah or Sarah and Nick, whichever order you prefer. And both those candidates are saying the same thing. So Kelly one, on the Senate ballot and then Nick and Sarah or Sarah and Nick on the House ballot, and that’s how we win both House and Senate.

CLAY: Awesome. Kelly. We appreciate it. I can’t believe that you have to game play now, basically, when it comes to voting in Alaska. It’s crazy.

TSHIBAKA: (laughing) It is. But we can win. Alaskans are smarter than the dark money that’s coming in to try and take our elections from us. I am confident that we can do this. So, Alaskans, get out to vote. This is going to be a great election and they’re going to be reporting about this for years to come and wonder how we all did it. But we know how we did it. We stuck together.

BUCK: Awesome.

CLAY: Absolutely true.

BUCK: Yep.

CLAY: Kelly should get it done. Put her in the Senate.