In a political cycle already overflowing with absurdity, Lakeshia Mashonda Ruddi Alston has managed to raise the bar. Alston, a niqab-wearing Muslim woman who is somehow the sole Republican candidate running for North Carolina’s State Senate District 22, gave an interview so strange and self-sabotaging that it has conservatives openly wondering whether this is less a campaign and more a prank.
Alston, who has voted Democrat consistently since at least 2008, insists she is now a Republican and represents the party’s future. That claim alone was enough to raise eyebrows. Then she opened her mouth. In an interview with Daily Caller, Alston attempted to explain her conservative principles and instead repeatedly declared, “I am down for ISIS.” She said it five times. She appeared to be referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE, but never actually clarified that point when given the chance.
At one point she said, “I did experience students who did have some interaction with ISIS. And was it sad? Yes, it was very sad. I cried. I empathize with them, which is why I am for ISIS.” That sentence alone should probably disqualify someone from running a bake sale, let alone serving in a state legislature.
🚨WATCH: @cadenolson_'s full interview with Republican North Carolina state Senate candidate LaKeshia Mashonda Ruddi Alston pic.twitter.com/hqD5rMAbCH
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) January 2, 2026
Alston describes herself as an educator, entrepreneur, and community advocate, yet she has no active campaign website, no platform, and no visible social media presence tied to her candidacy. Her answers throughout the interview drifted from confusing to incoherent. She mixed up Hiroshima and China in a bizarre anecdote about a childhood friend, misquoted the Preamble as “Give me liberty or give me peace,” and said she wears a niqab to avoid turning the election into a “beauty contest.”
She also managed to say she does not really understand the aims and values of the Republican Party, while simultaneously insisting, “I am a Republican.” That is an impressive level of confidence paired with zero evidence. She even lectured Republicans by saying, “We are not, excuse my language, but we’re not redneck honkies who don’t have any education or intellect,” which is always a winning way to introduce yourself to a new party.
District 22 is a Democratic fortress. Kamala Harris pulled 78 percent of the vote there in 2024. The seat is currently held by Democrat Sophia Chitlik, who faces a primary challenge from DeDreana Freeman. Alston filed with the Durham County Board of Elections last month, making her the presumptive GOP nominee by default.
Public voter records show she voted in Democratic primaries and elections for more than a decade, including 2024. North Carolina law requires a party switch at least 90 days before filing, meaning her sudden conversion conveniently came after she cast her last Democratic ballot.
🚨#BREAKING: It has been revealed that Lakeshia M. Alston, the woman running for election as a REPUBLICAN in North Carolina's Senate District 22 in a full hijab…
…is actually life-long Democrat according to her public voter records
She has been voting Democrat since 2008. pic.twitter.com/zgmjqYeA61
— Matt Van Swol (@mattvanswol) December 28, 2025
That timing, combined with the interview circus, has fueled widespread accusations of primary sabotage. Conservatives on X are already calling on the North Carolina Republican Party to investigate and urging an actual Republican to enter the race. Given what voters just watched, that might be the most reasonable response yet.
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