It’s been six years since Senator Lisa Murkowski was elected through a write-in ballot campaign, and in less than two weeks, she’ll face a new set of electoral challenges in Alaska’s primary (on Tuesday, August 16). Senator Murkowski has been traveling and listening to voters; she spent 24 hours in Nome on Wednesday, immediately following a visit to Kotzebue.
While in Nome, Murkowski participated in the Kawerak Regional/Rural Providers’ Conference, which she says is a crucial way to bring Alaskans together.
“I think this is the best of Alaskans, when you can come together and visit. We appreciate, we have a lot of work to do, we have many challenges that face us. So when we can come together as an Alaskan family and share a laugh or, as we did last night, dancing, this is really what allows us to get through the more challenging times,” Murkowski said.
Senator Murkowski took the time to speak to the conference attendees about many prevalent issues in the region, including alternate energy sources, substance abuse, and the poor living conditions that exist in some communities within western Alaska.
She recalled a time when she was addressing legislators in the U.S. Senate on this issue.
“You need to appreciate that we have third-world conditions, third-world villages effectively, that are threatened by climate change in this country, in my state. Don’t you think that they deserve some assistance?”
During the senator’s one-day visit to Nome, the third-generation Alaskan had a meet-and-greet with locals at the Richard Foster building. More than 20 people, including some Republican supporters, were in attendance.
One such supporter, Terry Day, asked Murkowski why her support for their party’s presidential candidate, Donald Trump, was so unenthusiastic. “Words matter,” the senator replied, “and the words Trump uses concern me.”
Nome resident Leo Rasmussen has known the senator since ninth grade, and he says he’ll support her for the rest of his life. Mayor Richard Beneville voiced his support for the senator as well, saying he votes for good Alaskans. Murkowski will need all the votes she can get to overcome her primary opposition, Paul Kendall and Thomas Lamb of Anchorage, and Bob Lochner of Wasilla. Murkowski says she is running for re-election to make a difference in Alaska.
“The work on behalf of Alaskans is never done, and I understand that, but I also recognize that my tenure in the Senate is allowing me to be in places of leadership that can have a very, very positive impact. I feel that I am at that point where I can really make a difference for Alaska,” stated Murkowski.
Senator Murkowski and her son Nicolas fly out to Wasilla for their next voter outreach stop. Alaska’s primary election day is August 16th.
