ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Republican Buzz Kelley, who finished fourth in Alaska’s U.S. Senate primary election and is set to appear on the November general election ballot, announced Monday that he was suspending his campaign and endorsing fellow Republican Kelly Tshibaka.
Kelley finished fourth in the open primary held Aug. 16, with just over 2% of votes. The top finisher was incumbent Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski with 45% of votes. Tshibaka, endorsed by former President Donald Trump, was in second with 38.5%. Democrat Pat Chesbro was in third with under 7%, in a field of 19 candidates.
Kelley’s fourth-place finish came as a surprise; he is a retired union mechanic from Wasilla who has never held political office. Tshibaka and several political observers posited that some of the votes he garnered were meant for Tshibaka, who’s campaign slogan is “Kelly for Alaska.”
