Huhnkie Lee

Huhnkie Lee (independent) ran for election for President of the United States. He lost as a write-in in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Biography

Huhnkie Lee was born in Ithaca, New York. Lee served in the U.S. Army from 2009 to 2013. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 2004 and a juris doctor from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in 2015. Lee's career experience includes working as a computer programmer and an attorney.^[1]

Elections

2022

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Alaska

Select round:

The ranked-choice voting election was won by Lisa Murkowski in round 3 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 263,027
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for U.S. Senate Alaska

The following candidates ran in the primary for U.S. Senate Alaska on August 16, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lisa Murkowski (R)	45.0	85,794
✔		Kelly Tshibaka (R)	38.5	73,414
✔		Patricia Chesbro (D)	6.8	12,989
✔		Buzz Kelley (R)	2.1	4,055
	Submit photo	Pat Nolin (R)	1.1	2,004
		Edgar Blatchford (D)	1.0	1,981
		Ivan Taylor (D)	1.0	1,897
		Samuel Merrill (R)	0.8	1,529
		Sean Thorne (L)	0.7	1,399
		Shoshana Gungurstein (Independent)	0.4	853
		Joe Stephens (Alaskan Independence Party)	0.4	805
		John Schiess (R)	0.4	734
		Dustin Darden (Alaskan Independence Party)	0.3	649
		Kendall Shorkey (R)	0.3	627
		Karl Speights (R)	0.3	613
	Submit photo	Jeremy Keller (Independent)	0.2	405
		Sid Hill (Independent)	0.1	274
		Huhnkie Lee (Independent)	0.1	238
	Submit photo	David Darden (Independent)	0.1	198

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 190,458
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Sam Little (R)
Elvi Gray-Jackson (D)
Shellie Wyatt (Alaskan Independence Party)

2020

General election

General election for Alaska State Senate District D

Incumbent David S. Wilson defeated James Mayfield, Thomas Lamb, and Stephen Wright in the general election for Alaska State Senate District D on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		David S. Wilson (R)	69.2	12,631
	Submit photo	James Mayfield (Nonpartisan)	14.4	2,622
		Thomas Lamb (Nonpartisan)	14.3	2,616
		Stephen Wright (R) (Write-in)	0.0	0
		Other/Write-in votes	2.1	386

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 18,255
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Alaska State Senate District D

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Alaska State Senate District D on August 18, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		David S. Wilson	33.9	1,736
		Stephen Wright	26.0	1,330
	Submit photo	Loy Thurman	22.2	1,135
	Submit photo	Bernadette Rupright	9.2	470
	Submit photo	Chandra McCain-Finch	6.7	342
		Huhnkie Lee	2.1	110

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,123
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Alaska Democratic and Independence parties primary election

Alaska Democratic and Independence parties primary for Alaska State Senate District D

Thomas Lamb advanced from the Alaska Democratic and Independence parties primary for Alaska State Senate District D on August 18, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Thomas Lamb	100.0	1,329

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,329
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Campaign themes

2022

Huhnkie Lee completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Lee's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Greetings Sirs/Ma’ams, I was born in Ithaca NY in 1978, grew up in Seoul Korea till 1997. I studied computer science in University of Wisconsin-Madison and studied computational biology in Cornell University for two years. I withdrew from Cornell’s PhD program and moved to LA, California in 2006 to become an actor.

I computer-programmed for living and acted in spare time, and made a movie, “Therapy for Metrophobia” (available in YouTube). I joined US Army as an helicopter electronics, E4/Specialist, in 2009. We deployed to Afghanistan between 2011-2012. I got GI-Bill and went to Michigan Law School in 2013.

While in Michigan, I watched Alaskan TV shows and documentaries and was captivated by Alaska’s culture, nature, and history. I graduated law school and moved to Alaska in 2015 without acquaintances or jobs. I was unemployed for three months and got a programmer job. I studied Alaska Bar Exam in spare time and passed it in 2018 and got a lawyer job.

I started attending political meetings in 2018, to protest Wasilla City’s ban on plastic bags, as I loved plastic bags. Since then, Alaskan politics fascinated me. Ladies and Gentlemen, I need Alaska more than Alaska needs me. Thank you!

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Alaska has few problems, as Alaska is doing better than other states.
But we can create jobs for Alaskan children by developing mining and farming.
Let us mine metals, minerals, oil and gas; let us farm bears, moose, lobsters, razor clams, in environmentally sound fashion!

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

As a senator, I will remove laws that prohibit farming of wild Alaskan animals. Unlike old days, we technological advancements that will enable us to farm animals once impossible to farm. We can farm edible seaweeds, clams, cronks, king crabs, lobsters, oysters and export them to Americas, Russia, Asia, and Europe.

We can explore possibility of developing nuclear icebreakers (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear-powered_icebreaker), to open up the northern Arctic trade/tourist route, in order to take advantage of global warming. We will build harbors and hotels in arctic Alaska to accommodate international maritime travelers.

We can farm black/white/brown bears in big Alaskan lands with fences in Safari style. Bear farms will serve as drive-through safaris and feeding zoos where patrons bring food to feed bears themselves, safely. We can take bear cubs to rent them out as pets and take them back after they grow big, so that they continue to produce baby bears in bear farms. After bears pass reproductive ages, we will harvest them to sell furs, meat, bones, and organs.

We can farm all Alaskan berries, which are known to have higher levels of vitamins and minerals than berries elsewhere. Salmon berries and Red Currants, if farmed, will have international appeal, as their texture and taste are beyond imagination.

We will emphasize education in our children and show them how fun it is to learn science, arts, history, sports, and foreign languages.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I like philosopher kings and scientific kings who are well read, knowledgeable, and can think independently. King Solomon of Israel, Sejong the Great of Korea, and Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison are some of such wise, smart, and strong kings. I think the most ideal political leader is one who is conversant in history, knowledgeable in science, and who can teach good knowledge to the public, and who is humble enough to learn from the people as well.

An ideal political leader is someone who can solve real world problems in a creative way. Working 80 hours a week leaves a person no room to think creatively. To solve challenging problem, we need to sit back, think about it, and come up with a bold, brand-new solution. Today’s American politics is mostly about money and elected officials working overtime. And we don’t see those officials solving real world problems well. It’s because they don’t know how to be creative.

When I was in US Army, I learned from my Sergeants that we ought to work smarter, not harder. It’s quality, not quantity, of work that matters and that solve problems. As a former computer programmer, I was trained to solve problems. I believe God created problems so we solve them.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

I think that the foremost quality of an elected official is morality, including honesty. Some candidates tend to hide their reasons why they’re running for an office. Me? I’m running for Senate because I want to be famous and I want to be the president of the US one day. Why? Because I want to lead the effort to better the world and I think I can do the job better than anyone can. Also, I think it’ll be fun to work as a senator in order to experiment with some business ideas, like farming lobsters and bears and berries in Alaska. Are those the only reason I’m running? Well, I do care about children of Alaska and of the world. I want to do my part in making this world perhaps just a little bit better. Actually, I’m more ambitious than that. Yes, I want to see this world be absolutely saved. I want to see zero crimes, zero hunger, zero homelessness. Do I believe that it is possible to achieve such high goals in our lifetimes? Yes, I do. That’s why I’m running.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I like learning from books and from people. I also like education people as well. I believe in creativity and creativity can only comes from leisure. As a senator, I will work only 40 hours a week. I will need spare time to relax and think things through on my own as always. I will live frugally, as always. Not much will change in my life. This way, I will represent 99% of the common people in Alaska, because I am and will still be one of them.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I think I was about 8 years old in Seoul, Korea. I was walking back home from school and college students in their late teens or early twenties were protesting on the streets, against the South Korean government that they thought to be corrupt. Police officers deployed tear gas and the young collegiate protesters were throwing things at police officers. It was chaotic.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I was born in America in 1978 and grew up in S. Korea till 1997 when I graduated high school in Seoul. I moved to Madison Wisconsin to study computer science, but my English was too poor to attend university classes. So, I took some semesters off and worked full time, as a bagger and a parking lot shopping cart collector in a supermarket in 1997-1998. In my spare time, I studied English on my own by memorizing the lyrics of Beatles, Beach Boys, Bee Gees, Beautiful South, etc. I watched movies and TVs with close captioned subtitle on. After a year or so, I was able to return to school and take classes.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Bible. I don’t think it’s a perfect book and I do not agree with every lesson in it: I even disagree with some of the things that Jesus said. But overall, I think Bible contains a treasure load of good teachings.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

I’d be a Sherlock Holmes when I solve problems, and play an Arsene Lupin when I entertain the crowd.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

I just called to say I love you, by Stevie Wonder

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

I think America is too divided. What America needs now is maturity, as too many adult Americans are acting like children on a playground, throwing snow balls at each other. If Americans learn to work together, overcoming individual differences, Americans can solve any problems there may be.

What qualities does the U.S. Senate possess that makes it unique as an institution?

US senatorial job would be an interesting one. If elected, I’d mostly work to enhance Alaska and solve problems in Alaska. For instance, we need to repeal or amend all the federal and state laws that prohibit farming of wild animals and plants in Alaska. We will also should work with national and state advocacy groups for environmental conservation and animal rights, so that Alaska’s new farming practices are environmentally sound and humane.

As a senator, I will bring ideologically diverse people together so that we will reach a perfect solution. I will work with both conservatives and liberalists so that our solution would satisfy every single one in the room. We can achieve this goal only when we respect people who disagree with us, and at the very least try to understand where they come from, and what’s the rationale behind their objection to our ideas. After we hear their conscientious objections, we can modify our solutions to accommodate their concerns and such process is actually a very constructive and healthy one. That’d be my approach.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for senators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Prior experience may shorten the time for a re-elected official, as a newly elected official would need some time to adjust and learn the new job.

What do you think of the filibuster?

The way I understand is, filibuster is a device that some senators use in order to block a legislation by speaking for a very long time on the senate floor. I understand and respect the passions of some legislators, but personally, I would not spend too much time with making laws. Don’t you think we have enough laws already? I think it probably is more helpful to eliminate regulatory laws than make new and new, more and more laws.

Legislation is not the best solution to every problem out there. Mostly, I will work with diverse sectors in society and connect the dots to solve problems. To make a project work, for instance Pebble Mine Resurrection Project, I’d talk to investors, private companies, state/federal officials and legislators, fishermen, and local residents in the Bristol Bay. I’d listen to them, ask them questions, and study the issue, discuss and brainstorm to find the best way to let the Pebble company start building the mine there. Governmental officials, all they need to do is say yes, and give it the stamp of approval. Then the mining professionals and investors will do the rest of work, create jobs, and start making money for Alaska.

What criteria would you apply when deciding whether to confirm presidential appointees?

I would be resume-blind. That is, when it comes to confirming presidential appointees, I will not look at what schools they went to, what previous jobs that they had. I will neither vote for nor against an appointee, only because she went to or not went to a top school in the nation, only because he used to work or not work for a top governmental agency or a huge corporation with illustrious positions. The only thing I will look at is the appointee’s character. I’d look to answer the following questions: is this person honest; does this person care more about the people or about one’s own political ambition; does this person have good judgment and common sense; does this person have enough knowledge and if not can this person learn fast, etc.

If you are not a current senator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

NA

If you are a current senator, why did you join your current committees?

NA

Is there a particular senator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

From what I’ve learned, Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska was a highly capable and caring senator. So yes, he’d be a good role model for any candidates out there, including myself //:-)

Tell us your favorite joke.

Well, this is a tough one. I expect I’ll lose a lot of voters after this. One day, my all-American friends, who were born and raised in America, asked me, as they know I grew up in S. Korea till I was 18. They asked me,

“Hey dude, you’ve eaten dogs in Korea?”
“Ahh… yes.”
“How many?”
“Ahh… three.”
“How do they taste?”
“Ahh… they taste like… your best friends.”

//x-D

How would you evaluate a judicial nominee?

Again, I would not pay attention to the judicial nominee’s resume. I would not care what school s/he went to, what jobs s/he had previously. All I’d require is that s/he has passed a state’s bar exam and is a lawyer. After that, I’d see if the person has a good character, morality, ethics, and intelligence.

What kind of relationships would you build with other senators?

I will be totally bipartisan, 100%. I will not look at other senators’ party affiliations.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2020

Huhnkie Lee completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Lee's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Born in Ithaca NY, 1978.

Grew up in south Korea till high school. Computer science major in computer science in Madison WI. Two years in Cornell, computational biology PhD. Dropped out, went to LA, CA, to become a movie star. Acting gigs in spare time while working ad a full time computer programmer. Didn't work out. But made a movie and uploaded to YouTube. ... Joined the US Army. After 4 years, got out with GI Bill. Went to a law school in MI. Watched TV. Alaskan TV shows. Graduated law in two years. Flew to Alaska in a Hawaiian T-shirts. ... Fell in love with Alaska ever since. ... Got a computer programmer job. Read law. Took Alaska bar exam. Missed by one point. Got help from friends. Passed the second time. Got a lawyer job. 2018. ... Running for Alaska state senate. Why? ... To get attention? Money, power, fame? Or.... What else? ... Love.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Innovative Solutions to Diversify Alaskan Industry
Eliminate Crimes & Homelessness
Diet and Exercise

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Greetings, Sir/Ma'am-

My name is Huhnkie Lee (please call me lee for convenience) and I'm running for Alaska State Senate.
We all pray for your safety and well-being in this very difficult times that we undergo.
...
So. What's my campaign agenda? How about diversification of Alaskan economy, industry?
...
What I suggest to you may come as a shock or laughter. Please, fell free to laugh. After all is said and done, I am your class clown. I would be very happy to entertain you.
...
How about we change the law such that we, Alaskans, can farm bears and moose?
Let's say, bears live up to a decade in natural habitat.
Then, in their bear 9th year, we shall harvest them.
Yes, for meat, pelt, fur, bones and teeth. Even gall bladders. And we'll sell them.
We will also release 10% of farmed bears to their natural habitat in Alaska.
That way, bears will never go extinct.
And we will make some handsome profit.
How does that sound?
...
It doesn't stop there.
With your kind and generous indulgence please. Let us continue.
How about we, Alaskans, start farming elephants?
We shall, of course, treat them humanely, as Alaska has big empty lands.
We farm elephants, harvest them before they die, and we sell ivories for chess pieces.
And we shall release 10% of them to their natural habitats.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is the one and only way to protect and preserve endangered species.

Thank you very much, God Bless!

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

President Trump, President Obama, for their good qualities that they have.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Superman 3, Star Wars 2 (made in 1970s).

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Innovation, knowledge, wisdom, ethics, bravery, respect.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

People skill, humility, knowledge, creativity.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Listen and learn from people, get things done, make something happen if necessary.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Courage, Peacemaker, Middleman.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

College students protesting against government corruption, 1980's, young teens, Seoul, S. Korea.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Computer programmer, 3 years, LA, CA.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Bible. It has good number of truthful statements.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Superman.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

I can change the world, Eric Clapton.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

English.

Every state besides Nebraska has two legislative chambers. What do you consider the most important differences between the legislative chambers in your state?

Division of labor, specialization.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes and no.

What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?

Diversification of economy.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?

Collaboration.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes, the left, the middle, and the right should work together.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

Population.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Economy, agriculture.

If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the legislature, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?

None.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Hon. Don Young.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

U.S. Senate, U.S. President.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

Law abiding, hard working people are always inspiring.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Huhnkie Lee campaign contribution history
Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	President of the United States	Lost general	$67,865	$59,575
2022	U.S. Senate Alaska	Lost primary	$0	N/A**
2020	Alaska State Senate District D	Lost primary	$835	N/A**
2020	President of the United States	Lost convention	$3,886	$4,517
Grand total			$72,585	$64,091
Sources: OpenSecrets, Federal Elections Commission *This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

External links

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Personal

Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on June 17, 2020

[show]

Alaska's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Lisa Murkowski (R)

Daniel Sullivan (R)

Representatives

Nicholas Begich (R)

Republican Party (3)

[bio-1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on June 17, 2020

[1]

Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
Lisa Murkowski	53.7	136,330	20,571	Won (3)
Kelly Tshibaka	46.3	117,534	2,224	3
Patricia Chesbro	0.0	0	-29,134	3
Buzz Kelley	0.0	0	0	2
Ted Gianoutsos (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
Shoshana Gungurstein (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
Sid Hill (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
Joe Stephens (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1

Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
Lisa Murkowski	44.5	115,759	1,641	Won (3)
Kelly Tshibaka	44.3	115,310	3,209	3
Patricia Chesbro	11.2	29,134	901	3
Buzz Kelley	0.0	0	-8,575	2
Ted Gianoutsos (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
Shoshana Gungurstein (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
Sid Hill (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
Joe Stephens (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1

Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
Lisa Murkowski	43.4	114,118	0	Won (3)
Kelly Tshibaka	42.6	112,101	0	3
Patricia Chesbro	10.7	28,233	0	3
Buzz Kelley	3.3	8,575	0	2
Ted Gianoutsos (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
Shoshana Gungurstein (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
Sid Hill (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
Joe Stephens (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1

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Huhnkie Lee

Contents

Biography

Elections

2022

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Alaska

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for U.S. Senate Alaska

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

2020

General election

General election for Alaska State Senate District D

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Alaska State Senate District D

Alaska Democratic and Independence parties primary election

Alaska Democratic and Independence parties primary for Alaska State Senate District D

Campaign themes

2022

2020

Campaign finance summary

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

2026 Elections

2024 Election analysis

Trending

Public Policy

Information for candidates

Get Engaged

Services

Additional analysis

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