By DAN FAGAN
I remember the first time I met Sen. Dan Sullivan. He walked into my studio at KFQD and instantly I knew he was different.
I had high expectations knowing he had served as the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State under Condoleezza Rice in the George W. Bush administration.
Sullivan traveled the world investigating high-level stuff like where terrorists got their funding. Sullivan was a Harvard graduate and earned a master’s degree from Georgetown University. He was a U.S. Marine.
Sullivan was a living, breathing Jack Ryan, the fictional hero made famous by novelist Tom Clancy.
Sullivan was everything you would expect from such a blue blood. He came to the studio prepared with notes and an assistant taking notes. He treated his interview with me like he was about to do a live hit for the ratings giant Fox News.
That’s how the Dan Sullivan’s of the world roll. Excellence is their game. The way they do one thing is the way they do everything.
After serving as Alaska’s Attorney General, Sullivan went onto to become the state’s commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources.
He was a good one, always pitching energy and mining companies all across the globe on the benefits of investing in Alaska.
I once invited Sullivan to sit on a panel at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Anchorage focusing on a potential Alaska gas pipeline. The room was packed with hundreds of Alaskans.
We had at least eight panelists, including Bill Walker (now former governor) fielding questions. as I roamed the audience with a microphone, Phil Donahue style. Other big wigs were there.
But Sullivan stole the show with his wisdom and statesmanship. He made Walker look foolish.
Then, in 2014, Sullivan accomplished something rarely done in America. He beat an incumbent U.S. senator. There are few with the political skills and likeability of Mark Begich. But down he went after losing to Sullivan.
That’s what the intentional, ambitious, and self-disciplined do. Whatever they set their mind to.
Alaska is fortunate to have someone the caliber of Sullivan serving in the U.S. Senate.
All those swampy big donors were fools believing dumping more than $35 million of outside cash into Alaska to take out Sullivan would work, especially with such an incompetent opponent like Alan Gross.
Sullivan is now firmly positioned to sit in the senate for as long as he wants, unlike his colleague, Lisa Murkowski whose days in the body are clearly numbered.
The path Sullivan took to get to the Senate could not be more different than Murkowski’s.
Lisa, who failed the bar exam four times, was a liberal state representative pushing for an income tax back when her daddy gave her his U.S. Senate seat, like he was a king and she was a princess.
If Lisa had to run in a crowded primary to fill Frank Murkowski’s Senate seat after he became governor, she wouldn’t have finished in the top five.
The scandalous move also gave Lisa the power of incumbency that’s kept her in the Senate all these swampy years. Once you control federal spending you make friends real fast.
Lisa has always been more than willing to do the bidding of special interests like native corporations, the health care industry and the organization she’s most loyal to, Planned Parenthood.
Lisa got another break after former Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan, at the last minute, suspiciously dropped out of the Republican primary the last time she ran for her seat. No other credible conservative challenged Lisa in the primary, thinking Mayor Dan was actually running. Mayor Dan would have smoked Murkowski in the primary.
We also wouldn’t have Obamacare, since Lisa was the deciding vote when President Donald Trump fell one vote short of fully repealing it.
Lisa defended her saving of Obamacare by claiming she was worried it would negatively impact abortion spending. Lisa is a staunch supporter of abortion. It seems to be the issue she cares about most.
There have always been people trying to rig the system in Lisa’s favor to make sure she remains a viable and important swamp creature. Her swampy masters knew Lisa’s increasingly hard-left bent would make it close to impossible for her to ever win a Republican primary in Alaska again.
So, they dumped multiple millions into the state and gave us the insanity that is Ballot Measure 2 — ranked choice voting.
It was a shifty and clever move, but it won’t work.
Regardless of what the media tell you, Alaska is still a red state. Even with the tens of millions in outside money for ballot harvesting in the last election in Alaska, Trump still easily beat Biden.
To win a statewide race in Alaska, you have to have conservative support. There’s no politician more loathed by Alaska conservatives than Princess Lisa.
The person most likely to replace Murkowski may very well be current Commissioner of the Department of Administration, Kelly Tshibaka.
Tshibaka is similar to Sullivan. She too is a Harvard grad and has served in high positions in the federal government.
Tshibaka was appointed to the position of Chief Data Officer in the U.S. Post Office of Inspector General in Washington D.C. before moving back to Alaska where she was raised as a child.
Tshibaka, like Sullivan, is extremely bright, articulate, and clearly driven. She’s everywhere on social media right now and even though she hasn’t announced her candidacy, she’s obviously running for something.
Tshibaka is a Christian, but not the kind that only goes to church on Easter and Christmas. She lives it and is a compelling speaker when talking about her faith.
Tshibaka’s authentic faith and her openness about it is why liberal bloggers and Leftists hate her so intensely. They’re always looking to bash her. They may not realize it’s because of her faith that they hate her, but it is.
The other wild card for taking out Lisa is former governor and global celebrity Sarah Palin. Palin’s the only conservative that could outraise swamp creature Murkowski. Palin’s grass roots fundraising in the Lower-48 has become legendary.
But Alaskans have grown weary of Palin’s drama and her ever increasing bizarre behavior. And then there’s the quitting thing. If she only made it two and a half years as governor, what makes us think she could do the full six-year Senate term.
Tshibaka is better positioned than Palin to win the hearts of Alaska conservatives.
What an upgrade for Alaska it would be to have Sullivan and Tshibaka representing the state in the U.S. Senate.
Dan Fagan hosts the number one rated morning drive radio show in Alaska on Newsradio 650 KENI. He splits his time between Anchorage and New Orleans.
Senator Murkowski does not represent financial needs of the State of Alaska with respects to mining, logging, return of state land from the federal govt. with her worst attribute of doing what is best for Lisa. Some recommended people I would like to see beat Lisa in the primary are;
Sean Parnell
Kevin Meyer
Thomas Begich, maybe
Jim Sampson, needs to be Republican
There are others of high quality and who would represent Alaska and definitely not Lisa.
I just got a letter from Dan Sullivan saying he supports the Equality Act.
My good friend Dan Fagan refers to my withdrawal from the 2014 Senate primary as ‘suspicious.’ Nothing suspicious about it. I was asked by several people I know and trust to consider the primary run and I entered it with the caveat that I would spend the following two weeks seeing what level of support was available. Before filing, I spoke with Joe Miller and several others who were possible candidates and I was told that they were definitely not running, so no one was disenfranchised from entering the race. Also, I entered without anyone knowing ahead of time on the last day to file at five o’clock, so again, no one was precluded from filing nor did I scare off any possible candidates as Dan suggested.
Over the two weeks, it became clear that even good friends that had supported me in the past were far more concerned with Lisa’s seniority and her ability to bring home the bacon than ideological conservatism. Although out of step with the Republican Party platform, they were going to continue to support her based on what they perceived as good for Alaska. After two weeks of reading the tea leaves, I withdrew from the primary.
Dan, now you know the rest of the story. You have my number, call anytime.
Well said Mayor.
Correction, 2016 Senate primary.
I AGREE WITH YOU 100%. It’s like they forgot the Constitution. In my 71 years I have never seen such sleazy actions.
Lisa Murkowski represents her own self interests, not Alaska. It seems like her votes are for sale to the highest bidder. Alaska deserves a senator we can trust and depend on, Lisa Murkowski is not that senator.
Sullivan is a Traitor who voted to certify an obviously stolen election, which amounts to a Communist Coup and takeover. He is a member of a Vichy Government of Traitors led by Chinese Puppet. Nothing this “Government” does is constitutional, legal or moral.
Dan Sullivan just sent me a letter supporting the Equality Act.
Well written piece…keep writing Dan; you are making a difference….It is easy to just say Lisa must go but harder to say that and then offer a proper solution we can all talk about and support..and Kelly Tshibaka would be at the top of many lists….
We could do away with all of the swamp rats in D.C., but if we don’t remind ourselves that their are still good people in almost all areas of life, we will become bitter about government. So much lying and cheating. Lining their own pockets at the detriment of our country. Allowing China to creep in to every avenue of our society and industry.
90% of our antibiotics are made in China. China has infiltrated our universities, especially the Ivy league universities.
China has become the 3rd largest importer of food to the U.S. just behind Mexico and Canada. A 2015 report by Asia Inspection found that nearly half of all Chinese food processing plants fail international standards for food safety.
China dominates the world’s rare earth minerals. If we don’t take back control, they can destroy us with our own requirements for technology. And they are planning on it.
We could use a strong woman like Kelly Tshibaka as a true conservative U.S. Senator truly representing Alaska and Alaskan Natives. Murkowski has been lying to Alaskans for years.
Now there is some Encouragement! I hadnt seen such Encouraging idea in a Looooooong time! Hopefully her husband and children will be ready to share her or emotionally ready to let her go. If God has her as a U.S U.S Senator, it is a more demanding job than being a commissioner. The kids and spouse got to be ready they will be gaining a whole lot of Siblings sharing their mother with the entire country. I think Ms.Palin under-estimated her children’s readiness when she ran for Mayor and Governor: one child valued his Privacy, and the second child allowed herself get involved with a dweeby group of friends getting pregnant by one of the dweebs. Its all up to her family, but whenever the tine is right Tshibaka will make a Fine U.S. Senator. She and Sullivan the two chartering a better direction for Alaska for the little time that is left.
Let’s get a real Republican in that Senate seat. I’m weary of the Palin drama too, but we need to start now if we’re going to beat Murkowski in 2022. Name recognition goes a long way, Murkowski is a familiar name and even if branded I or R, Dem’s will vote for her – because she is a Democrat swaddled in Republican clothing. Let’s do this Alaska. We deserve a rep that represents Alaskans – Murkowski does not. She’s an embarassment.
Any God fearing believing person
Just vote out the swamp Lisa
We all know Murkowski needs to be replaced and a valid attempt to do was made in earnest thru Joe Miller whom Dan conveniently ignores. I also think Dan’s praise of Sullivan falls short after the recent debacle at the capitol during which proud marine Dan ran like a scared rabbit from the awesome rioters. And that after only joining the chorus of voices decrying Trumps integrity.
Well said.
It should be noted that she not only failed the bar 4x, she then enlisted the services of a consultant firm to pass and did on the 5th attempt. This firm was later fined for cheating by giving their students copies of various state bar exams. This was after she went to work for them as their representative in Alaska.
You can’t make this stuff up. Stupid, and corrupt, and entitled. THIS is your ruling class.
Take a good long look Alaska.
If Commissioner Tshibaka is going to run and win the Senate seat, she needs to separate herself from the failing Dunleavy Administration. She’ll need to broaden her appeal from the far right and take votes from the middle in order to have any chance of defeating Senator Murkowski. The Commissioners time as a bureaucrat is going to severely impair her ability to appeal to masses. No matter how much you say it, her views and actions are rep
Publicly, regrettably, I hereby declare that this person Murkowski will never again have my vote. I will work long and hard to support any good R candidate who will enter the primary to take her Senate seat. To begin with I was disgusted by her father’s appointment, but it was solidly over for me with her Kavanaugh vote. And her so-called “principles” are… well, let’s not get personal. She could redeem herself somewhat by choosing to retire, because that would be a responsible decision.
Paging Mike Shower… Paging Mike Shower…
Fagan, you forgot another very promising individual that would make an excellent candidate with fantastic credentials and pedigree … “Elle Rubenstein.”
I can remember the first time I met Dan Fagan online. He was devoid of documentation, verification, and logic, but replete with innuendo.
I see he has not changed. Good luck, Nawlins’.
Good luck, Alaska.
Senator Sullivan has had the full support of enough conservative voters in Alaska to beat the ‘swamp’ candidate and we all know who that was. Again, like the Gov., I thought Sullivan was ‘the one’. What a slap in constituents’ faces to stand with Murkowski, against President Trump and fair elections for America. I will never have faith in him again or believe his re-election promises to work for Alaskans and America. Like ‘lovely’ Lisa, when it came down to American people or crooks, he stood in the same sewer with Lisa, with the same message to us that she had. That makes everything he has ‘done’ suspect, to me. Alaska deserves better. We all need to vote in person to get there, just like the ‘old days’. What Alaska and the rest of America is now suffering is only the beginning if it is not stopped. Our education system, in it’s current structure and teachings, is the antithesis of America. “Control the schools of today, control the government of tomorrow”. Heard that somewhere. Truth is getting more and more scarce from our government and our education system. Education has turned from learning into indoctrination.
Vaccines seem to be having more difficulties than originally predicted.
Why is it when referring to the politicians in this article, Murkowski is referred to as “Lisa,” yet all others are First/Last or last? I’m guessing the author must be on a first name basis with the Senator. A great one at that.
Bal,
“Lovely Lisa’s” father was/is Frank Murkowski, the most despised governor in America. “Lisa”, used as an identifier between her father and her, both of the same last name, is to differentiate between the two, even though there is miniscule difference (she is female, he is male). Pick an argument with a subject interesting enough to debate. Your ‘guess’ is way off. Lisa and Frank are birds of a feather.
If Sullivan is so great, why is he so silent about the $2,000,000,000,000.00 Relief package. I have written to all three of our reps to ask for a complete accounting of this bill. Not a word. $150,000,000.00 to build a subway tunnel in Nancy Pelosi district. $150,000,000.00 to amtrack. $50,000,000.00 to planned parenthood. Dan Fagan research it and report back to us. Call Sullivan and ask him why he is so silent. Also ask him why he supports the equity act that supports abortion up to the due date. Isn’t that murder.
I would never vote for Kelly Tshibaka. As Department of Administration Commissioner, she has proven that she will ignore the law and refuse to correct administrative crime in the Executive Branch. Dan Fagan, remember when a lady named Angela called your show last August and was complaining about bad management at the Anchorage Airport? Angela knows all about the corruption at the airport. Kelly Tshibaka was given the information two years ago and she chose to ignore the crimes. Kelly is not to be trusted.
I think Kelly Tshibaka would do well as a Senator. However, I have my reservations based upon her association with the Dunleavy Administration. Further, I don’t know if she is really well enough known to defeat Lisa.
Someone who has proven themselves a true conservative and one who puts principle over politics is Lora Reinbold. She walks the walk and talks the talk, her bona fides are a matter of record.
Kelly does not have such a record. She was a buddy of Dunleavy who came back to a nice job.
I would rather have Begich than “RINO Mike” as governor
Sullivan is another Squish. A RINO.
C’Mon Fagan – it’s time we start calling these politburo types what they are.
Equity Act – Sullivan supports.
Trump – has come out against Trump repeatedly – but not one word about BLM or Antifa – ever.
Relief Package – supports it.
Never met a war he didn’t like – Senate pawn of the military industrial complex.
Open borders advocate so the multi-national corps get their cheap labor.
Free trader – voting record has supported ascension of China.
Oh yeah, he’s against abortion and gay marriage – so he’s a bonafide “conservative”.
Going to Harvard doesn’t make you better than others – I’ll make the case that we should stay away from the Ivy Leaguers as politicians – look at the record of ALL of them.
He’s a Squish – nothing more, nothing less.
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