South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) has endorsed Kelly Tshibaka for the U.S. Senate in Alaska, Breitbart News learned exclusively on Thursday.

“Kelly Tshibaka will be an America First senator who knows that what’s good for Alaska is also good for America. She will fight for the constitutional rights of all citizens and work to revive the Alaskan economy, which has been devastated by the horrendous policies of the Biden administration,” Noem said in a statement. “I am proud to endorse Kelly and look forward to working with her on issues we have in common for years to come.”

Tshibaka scored a highly coveted endorsement from former President Donald Trump last summer and is taking on establishment-backed incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), one of the few Republican lawmakers to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. Tshibaka has been heavily leading Murkowski — a poll conducted by Tshibaka’s campaign in late March showed her ahead 45.4 percent to Murkowski’s 28.7 percent.

Sensing a shift toward the “America First” agenda among Alaska voters, Murkowski has admitted to corporate media outlets that she may lose her primary bid to Tshibaka.

“I may not be re-elected,” Murkowski told the New York Times in late April about the possible end of her 20-year Senate career. “It may be that Alaskans say, ‘Nope, we want to go with an absolute, down-the-line, always, always, 100-percent, never-question, rubber-stamp Republican.”

Tshibaka, who also received an endorsement from the Alaska Republican Party, released a statement thanking Noem for her support.

“It is a high honor, and I am grateful to have the support of Kristi Noem, one of the nation’s most successful governors. She understands what it’s like when the federal government seizes control of huge chunks of your state’s land and when it interferes with people’s livelihoods,” Tshibaka said. “When I’m Alaska’s next senator, I will always stand up for the rights of our people, and I will never forget who hired me to represent them.

The Alaska primaries will take place on August 16, 2022.

Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Twitter.