STAND with Kelly and Niki Tshibaka
One grew up in Alaska; the other grew up abroad. One is a Daughter of the American Revolution and a descendant of generations of American veterans; the other, the son of an African immigrant and a descendant of Congolese chieftains. One was a government watchdog; the other, a civil rights activist. Both had parents who were homeless for a while, and both graduated from Harvard Law School.
Like you, they have suffered devastating loss and faced overwhelming challenges. Through it all, they’ve found victory over the hardships of life simply by choosing to Stand. Join Kelly, Niki, and their inspiring guests as they move beyond simply talking about issues and challenges, to exploring how to solve and overcome them. Together, we will build a movement of everyday Americans who courageously take a stand for freedom, truth, and a country led by “We the People.”
STAND with Kelly and Niki Tshibaka
Securing Trump's Endorsement: Nancy Dahlstrom's Alaskan Campaign Journey
What does it take to secure a game-changing endorsement from a former president? Join us as we chat with Lieutenant Governor of Alaska Nancy Dahlstrom, who shares her journey to winning the coveted support of Donald J. Trump in her bid for the House of Representatives. Nancy opens up about her admiration for Trump's dedication to Alaska and the national spotlight that endorsements from prominent Republicans like Speaker Johnson, Congressman Steve Scalise, and Congresswoman Elise Stefanik bring to her campaign. These endorsements not only elevate her profile but also attract crucial funding and attention to Alaska's Congressional race.
This episode dives deep into the strategic maneuvers needed to navigate Alaska's ranked-choice voting system. Nancy breaks down the critical importance of unified Republican support and the role of motivating Republican super voters to avoid vote-splitting. She outlines the challenges posed by voter drop-off and the necessity of strategic collaboration to reclaim the seat once held by Don Young, aiming to unseat the current representative, Mary Paltola. If you're invested in the political landscape of Alaska or curious about campaign strategies, this discussion is not to be missed.
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Welcome back to Stand with Kelly Nikki Chewbacca. We're so excited to have with us Lieutenant Governor of Alaska Nancy Dahlstrom, running for the House of Representatives in Alaska this cycle. Nancy, we want to talk about some of the major endorsements you have in this race, because you have picked up a lot of support in a short amount of time, most recently one of the most coveted endorsements in the nation from our former president and some would say he's still my president.
Speaker 2:And soon to be president.
Speaker 1:President Donald J Trump. Tell us a story about how you got President Trump's endorsement.
Speaker 3:Wow. Well, thank you for bringing that up. I am thrilled to have that endorsement, just beyond thrilled about it. You know, president Trump is such a great fighter for the state of Alaska and one of the things I wanted to say for everybody that's listening, you know the governor will tell you that any time he's spoken with President Trump, the president has always said what can I do for Alaska? He didn't wait to be asked, he said what can I do for Alaska? And I love that about him and I respect and admire that.
Speaker 3:He has made it a point to know so much about our state and what's important. And I'm so happy that he weighed in on this race because he, like us, know what's at stake here, not only in our state but in our country, and I believe that he feels the same way that I do, and I know you two do, and that our country. We are kind of at a crossroads and we have got to get our country back and it's essential that we have President Trump back in the presidency. And I he knows that I'm a fighter, he's aware of my background, he knows what I have done, he knows some of the battles I've fought in the legislature, he knows I can stand strong when the winds are blowing very tough and and strong and blowing the other trees down. He knows that that I can stand strong and I've proven that. You know the conversations that he had with Speaker Johnson. Speaker Johnson was able to talk with him a lot about the conversations that we've had and the in-person meetings. Congressman Steve Scalise, who is a big lover of Alaska, has been a wonderful friend and supporter to me right from the get go and I know that he talked to the president. Congresswoman Stefanik has been an incredible supporter and just given me many, many tips and been so supportive of this race and she also loves Alaska. They know the type of fighters that we need.
Speaker 3:I've been thrilled to have the endorsement of Congressman Emmer, who his tie to Alaska is that he went to college on a hockey scholarship in Fairbanks and so he spent four years within our state and he's also good friends with our Senator, dan Sullivan, and so he's been here quite a few times, knows what's important to us and will always defend Alaska. He's been just incredible but thankful for their endorsements. And Chairman Hudson, who's the chair of the Congressional Leadership Fund, has been wonderful. Winning for Women, which is an organization that helps to get conservative women into office in DC, have been very supportive and financially very helpful. So I'm grateful for all of those.
Speaker 3:The donations have been coming from lots of very good, strong Republican people who I'm so impressed with what they say about Alaska to me and how security, how close we are to all these other nations and being you know so close, airways and everything that we have, everything that another country would want in this, in this state. And we know full well the biggest regret Russia has ever had was selling us and they wish they could take us back and of course, with that we say, hey, good luck, give it a try, but it's not gonna happen. Right, we're not giving up Alaska, but we just have so many things going for us and it's why I think the support of so many in DC has been there, because they know the whole country benefits from our state.
Speaker 1:Did you have a chance to talk to President Trump yourself yet? No, I have not talked to him personally yet Well, that'll be an exciting day when you do. I agree with you that he has been so supportive of Alaska and I think it's huge that he has jumped in and had an opinion about this race, because it puts this race on the map nationally and will bring a lot of attention to having a decisive victory for Republicans. I think that that's a big deal.
Speaker 3:I agree with you. Being on the map even more than we were is just critical, and we all know that it takes money to run a campaign.
Speaker 1:That's right.
Speaker 3:Nothing in this I'm going to call it industry of campaigning is free, nor is it inexpensive, and so I am always on the phone and asking people for donations and letting them know what I stand for so they know what their money is going to be supporting. But it's just, it's a part of the territory that comes with this.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely. And speaking of the need for the help, the helpfulness of endorsements and, of course, the need for money and getting this, this race, more on the national forefront, what do you see as the path to victory for us in this particular race to unseat Mary Paltola and get back the seat that Don Young held for so long?
Speaker 3:Well, you know, in our state we have ranked choice voting. That was put into the law. It barely won and it was challenged in court and the court said, hey, this is the way it is, and so we've been living with that. So what I like to equate it to is a game. That's the game we're playing right now, and we have to play by the rules. And the rules with ranked choice voting are that people pick their first choice and then they rank.
Speaker 3:Now what Republicans need to remember is don't rank any Democrats, rank the Republicans. And if we do that and if every, if I want to earn people's vote and I want people to vote for me and I'm happy to answer any questions or you know anything that they have for me but I also want them to vote for the other Republican who's running as number two. And I tell everyone if you are voting for the other Republican, great vote for me, number two. That's how we're going to win this. That is how we're going to have a Republican, a conservative Republican, in Congress and our state will be represented better and our country will be in better hands. So you know, moving forward, I am delivering that message everywhere I go and there's no fighting and no fussing, because I'm running against Paltola and Biden and that's where every dollar and every cent and every bit of energy that I have is going.
Speaker 2:And that's you know. That strikes me as that's the path. We have to rank the red. There is still a certain margin of voters who are either skeptical of ranked choice voting or may refuse to vote because they don't like ranked choice voting, or may refuse to vote because they don't like rank choice voting, or may refuse to or might say I don't want to rank because I am just in principle against rank choice voting. And you know that two or three percent of folks who might decide not to do that could make a difference. What's your, what do you say to those folks? How do we convince them? Say you know what? We understand to your point. Like you said, this is the system that we have, these are the cards that we've been dealt. We've got to work within the rules. How do we convince them to move forward and just rank the red? Because, at the end of the day, gaining that seat back is what's most important? How do we get them to move on that?
Speaker 3:So I have heard that comment from a few people and some people just feel like they're almost doing something morally wrong. Mark to mark too. I mean pretty much that's what they've said to me. I try and explain it to them and it concerns me a lot and I'll just keep. I'm going to keep on trying. We're getting education out to folks. I know that Division of Elections is continuing to put education out in written form and there will be things coming out on the airways to try to help people where to vote and explaining ranked choice voting, and that is the Alaska Division of Elections and that's being advertised statewide. So you know I refer people there all the time.
Speaker 3:If people say they're only voting for one, I ask them to please reconsider and to please think about it. I make sure that they have all my contact information and know they can contact me with any additional questions. And then I say and if you're only voting for one, please let it be me, because I will represent you the best. And here's why Everybody has a different point, something that's super important to them, and I try to explain to them where I stand on that so they know why it's in their best interest, you know to vote for me. You know I'm going to say the other Republican who is running has said they're dropping out if they come in.
Speaker 3:Third, and before you even ask me, I'm going to tell you that I have not made that statement, nor am I going to make that statement. What I have said is let's see how all the votes shake out on August 20th and if there's ever any questions, then I will call Nick and I will call the party chair and let's sit down and let's talk about this and see what path that we have to move forward to have a Republican in Congress representing Alaska. That's what this whole thing is about. This isn't about me. This is about Alaska. This is the picture of the whole. This isn't just about one person or a couple people, and so I am looking at this as the whole and the big picture and what's best for Alaska.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because we saw last time that obviously it doesn't matter how much education we do, the voters last time split the vote and there's so much drop off with the second place ranking that, um, even though there are more republicans and even though we elected a republican governor and we would have elected a republican president well, we're elected a republican president this time. If we are splitting between two candidates then who are really close, then the the vote will go to the Democrat, and we saw that last time. So we've got to be strategic. We also saw in 2022 that we just had significant voter drop off, and it seems that the data around ranked choice is that every time you have an election, there's more and more drop off. So I expect there'll be a little bit more voters this time because it's a presidential race, but it will be lower voter turnout than a normal presidential race, and so, when we had 19,000 super voter Republicans who didn't vote in 2022, one of the big challenges to our path to victory this year will be just motivating Republicans to vote.
Speaker 1:We're at a break, so stand by with us. You're on. Stand with Kelly and Nikki Chewbacca. Stand by, we'll be right back.
