2022 United States Senate election in Alaska
The 2022 United States Senate election in Alaska was held on November 8, 2022. Incumbent Republican senator Lisa Murkowski won reelection to a fourth full term, defeating fellow Republican Kelly Tshibaka and Democrat Patricia Chesbro.
This was the first U.S. Senate election in Alaska to be held under a new election process provided for in Ballot Measure 2. All candidates ran in a nonpartisan blanket top-four primary on August 16, 2022, and the top four candidates advanced to the general election, where voters utilized ranked-choice voting.
Murkowski had been a vocal critic of Donald Trump during his presidency and opposed several of his initiatives. Murkowski was one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial in 2021, and was the only one up for re-election in 2022. On March 16, 2021, the Alaska Republican Party voted to censure Murkowski and announced that it would recruit a Republican challenger in the 2022 election cycle. Kelly Tshibaka, a former commissioner of the Alaska Department of Administration, was endorsed by Trump and the Alaska Republican Party. Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell and the National Republican Senatorial Committee supported Murkowski.
In addition to Murkowski and Tshibaka, Democrat Pat Chesbro and Republican Buzz Kelley also advanced to the general election. On September 13, Kelley suspended his campaign and endorsed Tshibaka but remained on the ballot. Murkowski received a plurality of first-place votes; however, because no candidate received a majority of the votes in the first round, an instant runoff was triggered. Murkowski won reelection in the third and final round, winning most of the second-choice votes from Chesbro's voters.
Primary election
Republican Party
Advanced to general
- Lisa Murkowski, incumbent U.S. senator
- Kelly Tshibaka, former commissioner of the Alaska Department of Administration
Withdrew after advancing to general
- Buzz Kelley, retired mechanic ''''
Eliminated in primary
- Sam Merrill, businessman
- Pat Nolin, mechanic
- John Schiess, perennial candidate
- Kendall L. Shorkey
- Karl Speights, retired U.S. Air Force officer and advisor to Donald Trump's 2020 presidential campaign
Disqualified
- Sam Little, musician, truck driver, National Guard veteran and candidate for governor of Alaska in 2010
Declined
- Mike Dunleavy, governor of Alaska
- Bob Lochner, mechanic and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2016
- Sarah Palin, former governor of Alaska and nominee for vice president of the United States in 2008 ''''
Democratic Party
Advanced to general
- Pat Chesbro, teacher
Eliminated in primary
- Edgar Blatchford, professor, former mayor of Seward, and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2016 and 2020
- Ivan R. Taylor
Withdrew
- Elvi Gray-Jackson, state senator for District I and former Anchorage Assembly member ''''
Libertarian Party
Eliminated in primary
- Sean Thorne, veteran
Alaskan Independence Party
Eliminated in primary
- Dustin Darden, city maintenance worker and perennial candidate
- Joe Stephens
Declined
- John Howe, machinist and nominee for U.S. Senate in 2020 ''''
Independents
Eliminated in primary
- Dave Darden, perennial candidate
- Shoshana Gungurstein, businesswoman
- Sid Hill, political gadfly and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2014
- Jeremy Keller, television personality
- Huhnkie Lee, attorney, army veteran and Republican candidate for Alaska Senate in 2020
Declined
- Al Gross, orthopedic surgeon, commercial fisherman, son of former Alaska Attorney General Avrum Gross, and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2020 ''''
Results
General election
Predictions
Debates and forums
Endorsements
Polling
Lisa Murkowski vs. Kelly Tshibaka| Poll source | Date administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Lisa Murkowski | Kelly Tshibaka | Undecided |
| Alaska Survey Research | April 16–21, 2022 | 1,208 | ± 2.9% | 55% | 45% | – |