Former President Donald Trump is going to get the opportunity of a lifetime this week: He gets to meet Will Deaton of Cordova.
Deaton will be traveling to Mar-a-Lago to attend Kelly Tshibaka’s fundraiser with Trump, planned for Feb. 10. Tshibaka, the Republican Party’s candidate for the U.S. Senate in Alaska, announced that Deaton, a 20-year-old, won the sweepstakes that will cover his expenses for the trip.
“Alaskans love what President Trump did for our state and we are delighted to give one of our residents the chance to thank him in person,” Tshibaka said. “We appreciate President Trump’s support of Alaska so much, and we want him to know that Alaskans support him as well. His America First policies were the best for us: energy independence, lower taxes, border security, and a strong military–the list goes on and on. This will be a tremendous event for our campaign, and I am excited that William will be sharing it with us.”
“It will be the thrill of a lifetime to be with Kelly and meet President Trump at legendary Mar-a-Lago,” Deaton said in a statement released by the campaign. “When you enter a contest like this, you never really think you’re going to win. I am a strong Tshibaka supporter, and I love what President Trump did for Alaska and the country. This will be a trip that I’m sure I will never forget.”
Deaton will be a student at Hillsdale College in the fall, was randomly chosen as the winner of the sweepstakes Tshibaka has been publicizing for the past month. No purchase or campaign contribution was required to enter.
But Deaton is also a rising star in politics in Alaska. A couple of years ago, he helped reorganized the Cordova Republicans, “because it is important for conservatives to have an organization, in their community, through which they can organize and advocate for conservative causes.” Deaton said at the time. “At our first meeting, we passed four resolutions. I took those to the district convention, where two of those passed. Those two are now going to the state convention, where Cordovans will support the Alaska Marine Highway System and call for an end to the binding-caucus rule.”
Tshibaka, who was born and raised in Alaska, is challenging incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski for the U.S. Senate. Tshibaka has spent her career exposing fraud and abuse in government and served as Commissioner of Administration for the State of Alaska until she stepped down to announce her campaign. Her father was a union electrician and Vietnam War veteran, and her mother was one of the first workers at the startup of Prudhoe Bay, one of Alaska’s large oil fields. Her parents were homeless for a time in the 1970s, but fought their way into the working class.
Tshibaka graduated from Steller Secondary School in Anchorage and was the first in her family to pursue a college degree, beginning her studies at the University of Alaska Anchorage before graduating from college and law school. She lives in Anchorage with her husband, Niki, and their five children.
