Kelly Tshibaka
Tshibaka in 2023
Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Administration
Preceded by	Jonathan Quick[1]
Succeeded by	Amanda Holland (acting)[1]
In office 2019-2021[2]
Personal details
Born	1979 or 1980 (age 45–46)[3] Anchorage, Alaska, U.S.[3]
Party	Republican Party
Spouse	Niki[3]
Children	5[3]
Alma mater	Bachelor's degree: Texas A&M University[4] Law degree: Harvard Law School[4][3]

Kelly Tshibaka is an American former government official who unsuccessfully ran as a Republican candidate for the 2022 U.S. Senate election in Alaska. Receiving the endorsement of President Donald Trump, she ran on a conservative platform against moderate Republican Lisa Murkowski and Democrat Pat Chesbro.

Tshibaka was born in Anchorage, Alaska to Bill and Michele Hartline. Her father was a journeyman electrician and her mother worked as an auditor for an oil company. She was raised in Anchorage and Wasilla, Alaska. She attended Steller Secondary School.^[3]

Tshibaka moved away from the state at age 15 to attend college, graduating with a bachelor's degree from Texas A&M University in 1999^[4] and with a law degree from Harvard Law School at age 22. While attending Harvard, she was a columnist for the Harvard Law Record student newspaper. She returned to Alaska in 2019 to work in the administration of Governor Mike Dunleavy.^[3]

After graduating from law school, Tshibaka worked as a special assistant in the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General. She later worked as an adviser to the inspector general in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.^[3] She has also worked in the offices of inspector general for the U.S. Postal Service and Federal Trade Commission.^[2]

From early 2019 until her resignation in March 2021, Tshibaka was commissioner of the Alaska Department of Administration.^[2]

In March 2021, Tshibaka declared her candidacy for the 2022 U.S. Senate election in Alaska.^[2] The incumbent, Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski, had held the office since 2002. Murkowski had long been opposed by conservative Republicans due to her views on issues such as abortion and gun control, losing the Republican primary in 2010 to Tea Party candidate Joe Miller but winning the general election through a write-in campaign.^[3]

During President Donald Trump's first term, Murkowski had voted against Republican-led efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, failed to support the nomination of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh^[3] and voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial. The latter vote resulted in the Alaska Republican Party voting to censure her.^[2]

During the U.S. Senate campaign, Tshibaka received an endorsement from former U.S. President Donald Trump, whom Lisa Murkowski had voted to convict in his second impeachment trial.^[5] Murkowski was censured by the state Republican Party but supported by Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and the Senate Leadership Fund. Pro-Murkowski PACs spent millions of dollars on attack ads targeting Tshibaka.^[6]

The Democratic candidate was Pat Chesbro, a retired educator.^[3]

The Senate Leadership Fund published attack ads criticizing Tshibaka for allegedly falsely reporting work hours while serving in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. An internal investigation found nearly 600 of Tshibaka's recorded work hours between 2008 and 2011 were "questionable", equating to $36,000 in pay.^[6][3] She claimed to have been exonerated by the investigation and her campaign stated the allegations were made in retaliation by disgruntled federal employees.

Tshibaka presented a signed letter from the chief management officer of the DNI office stating the matter was considered closed. No apparent disciplinary action was taken as a result of the investigation.^[3]

When relocating from Washington, D.C. to Alaska in 2019 to work for the state government, Tshibaka and her family incurred $81,000 in moving expenses paid for with state funds. This was criticized in Senate Leadership Fund ads; Tshibaka blamed the state's procurement process that required her to select the lowest vendor and claimed multiple breaches of contract by the vendor causing the increased expenses.^[6]

Tshibaka finished in second place in the general election, being defeated by Murkowski in the third round of ranked-choice voting, 53.7% to 46.3%.^[4]

Tshibaka was selected as the Alaska chair of Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign.^[7]

Tshibaka supports curtailing abortion access.^[3]

Tshibaka opposes the teaching of critical race theory in schools.^[3]

As a student, Tshibaka wrote an article about conversion therapy in the Harvard Law Record claiming that homosexuality is a choice. While running for U.S. Senate, she told the Anchorage Daily News that it was not her place “to say what is or isn’t anybody’s experience with being gay” and described the previous article as a set-up assigned by an editor. However, she did not denounce conversion therapy.^[3]

Upon her defeat in the 2022 Senate general election, Tshibaka criticized the ranked-choice voting system used, claiming it was designed to protect incumbents.^[5] She later founded an organization advocating against ranked-choice voting.^[7]

Tshibaka is married. She has five children.^[3]

She hosts a podcast with her husband.^[7]