The board of the Kenai Peninsula Republican Women’s Club has voted unanimously on Thursday to endorse Kelly Tshibaka for U.S. Senate and to request the State Central Committee of the Alaska Republican Party do the same.
The announcement was made on the heels of news that District 21 Republicans on Wednesday had overwhelmingly voted to endorse Tshibaka during the district meeting in Anchorage.
Read District 21 Republicans vote to endorse Tshibaka for Senate
The KPRW endorsement makes four women’s clubs associated with the Republican Party to have announced endorsements for Tshibaka — the Republican Women of the Kenai, Anchorage Republican Women’s Club, and Valley Republican Women of Alaska are the other three.
Tshibaka is running as a Republican against Murkowski, who has held the prestigious office since 2002, when former Sen. Frank Murkowski appointed her to the seat, as he won the governor’s race.
The state central committee meets on July 10 in Fairbanks and there appears to be a push by Republican women’s clubs to have the party endorse Tshibaka. Both Kenai clubs have passed a resolution asking the State Central Committee to endorse her.
At its last meeting , the Alaska Republican Party passed a resolution by an overwhelming majority (77 percent), censuring Murkowski, asking her to not run as a Republican, and withdrawing all party resources from her. That means no party club, affiliate group, or state party officer can aid Murkowski’s reelection campaign. The party also, at the same March meeting, resolved to find someone to run against Murkowski.
Tshibaka won former President Donald Trump’s endorsement last week.
