Incumbent Lisa Murkowski has a dominant fundraising advantage over challenger Kelly Tshibaka in the U.S. Senate race. In the race for U.S. House, Nick Begich enjoys a big cash-on-hand advantage despite raising the least of the three main contenders in the race, according to the most recent Federal Election Commission reports.
A total of about $4 million was raised on Murkowski’s behalf by her campaign ($1.6 million) and the political action committee Alaskans for LISA ($2.4 million) during the three-month quarter ending June 30. The 20-year Republican incumbent had $6.1 million in her campaign account as of the reporting date.
Tshibaka’s campaign reported raising $587,000 in the same three months, with $1.1 million in her account.
The totals for the quarter ending June 30, with a filing deadline of July 15, do not include any contributions that came in after former President Donald Trump attended a rally in Anchorage on July 9 where he endorsed Tshibaka for Senate and former Gov. Sarah Palin for U.S. House.
While Tshibaka and Murkowski are each past $1 million, Democratic Senate candidate Pat Chesbro, who entered the race in May, reported raising slightly less than $38,000 during the same period, including $7,400 from herself, with about $16,000 cash on hand.
Palin led the House candidates with $203,000 raised during the reporting period between May 23 and June 30 — the shorter period representing the timespan between the last reporting period before the special primary election in July. Democratic candidate Mary Peltola raised $161,000, and Republican candidate Begich $82,000.
But the cash-on-hand numbers for the three candidates are a mirror image, with Begich reporting $708,000 in the bank due primarily to loaning his campaign $650,000 earlier in the race; Peltola, with $115,000 (and $10,000 in debt); and Palin, about $95,000 (and $40,000 in debt).
Voters on Aug. 16 will choose between Palin, Peltola and Begich to fill out the remaining months of the unexpired term of the late U.S. Rep. Don Young, who died in March. On that same day, voters will choose from the same three candidates, plus 19 more, in a primary election to decide which ones advance to the Nov. 8 general election for a two-year term to Congress.
Of the $2.4 million raised by Alaskans for LISA, $1.5 million came from Kenneth Griffin, a hedge fund manager who has contributed millions to support Republican candidates and PACs nationwide. The biggest donors to Murkowski’s personal campaign account were PACs supporting Republican candidates nationally.
Of the $203,000 raised by Palin, about $95,000 went to fees charged by fundraising entities.
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