U.S. Sen. Murkowski, Trump-backed opponent secure enough votes to face off in November

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski and challenger Kelly Tshibaka, a state government commissioner endorsed by Donald Trump, will face off in November, Edison Research said on Wednesday, after coming in the top four candidates in Alaska’s open primary.

Murkowski, who has held the seat since 2003 and won with a write-in campaign in 2010 after losing the Republican nomination, is a moderate whose votes Democrats often court.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Moira Warburton in Washington; Editing by Scott Malone and Alistair Bell)