Project Veritas, an investigative journalism non-profit organization, released videos Wednesday of campaign staffers for Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who describe on tape how Murkowski was secretly supportive of the Ballot Measure 2.
The campaign staffers say that they and Murkowski consultants worked on Ballot Measure 2 and they had Murkowski in mind the whole time.
“She stayed quiet and honestly it was probably best she stayed quiet on that,” said Josiah Nash, Murkowski Interior campaign coordinator. “Between you and me, Ballot Measure 2 was actually created, I think, for two reasons. Number one, it was created because there were people in this state who wanted to see a better system, but they also wanted Lisa to get reelected. We’re being strategic with our messaging. Walking a fine line, I guess is what I’m saying, to try to get her elected.”
Emma Ashlock, another campaign coordinator, was recorded saying, “While we were working on Ballot Measure 2 and voting for Ballot Measure 2, we had Sen. Murkowski in mind the whole time.”
Ballot Measure 2 was designed by Murkowski surrogates such as her former campaign counsel Scott Kendall. It was sold to voters in 2020 as way to get rid of “dark money” from campaigns, but in actuality, it changed the election system so Murkowski could win reelection, since she has been censured by the Republican Party, asked to leave the party, and has a very low approval rating with voters in general. She would not be able to win another Republican primary, but Ballot Measure 2 took away the Republican primary from the Republican Party.
The campaign is between 19 people on the primary ballot, including Republican Kelly Tshibaka, Democrat Pat Chesbro and Democrat Edgar Blatchford. Tshibaka has the endorsement of the Alaska Republican Party.
The entire five-minute recording of Murkowski staffers is at this link:
