Lisa Murkowski, a senator from Alaska, is openly questioning her future within the Republican Party. She is coming to terms with the fact that her party is on the verge of nominating a twice-impeached former president who is currently facing 91 criminal charges.
Centrist Republicans who have distanced themselves from the GOP’s base on multiple occasions, such as in the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump and the unsuccessful 2017 vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act, are increasingly discontented with the ongoing influence of Trump and his Maga faction within the party.
During an interview on Capitol Hill with CNN’s Manu Raju, Ms. Murkowski made it clear that she would not be endorsing Mr. Trump for president in 2024. Unlike most other Republicans on Capitol Hill, she expressed her independent mindset and hinted at the possibility of potentially dropping her party affiliation.
She responded by saying, “I am navigating my way through some very interesting political times. Let’s just leave it at that.”
If she decides to leave the Republican Party, there could be several consequences, particularly if she chooses to continue caucusing with the GOP in the Senate. In the Senate, independent members have the option to align themselves with one of the two major parties. For instance, Senators Angus King and Bernie Sanders, despite being officially unaffiliated with the Democratic Party, are part of the Democratic caucus. Similarly, Kyrsten Sinema, who departed from the Democratic Party in 2022, is also a member of the Democratic caucus.
Unlike her colleague from Arizona, Ms. Murkowski comes from a state that values independence from the major parties, although the state tends to lean Republican during election years. Ms. Murkowski enjoys popularity among her constituents and has successfully fended off conservative opponents in previous reelection bids. One notable example was in 2022 when she defeated Kelly Tshibaka, who had the support of former President Trump, in the midterm elections. Alaskan voters will not have the opportunity to cast their ballots for Ms. Murkowski again until 2028.
In contrast, Ms. Sinema made the decision in March not to run for re-election in 2024. In a video message, she acknowledged that Arizonans were not supporting her centrist approach, as indicated by polls that placed her behind both Democratic Congressman Ruben Gallego and Trump supporter Kari Lake in the state Senate race.
“I consider myself to be quite independent-minded,” expressed Ms. Murkowski in her recent interview with CNN. She further lamented, “I can’t help but feel disheartened by the direction our party seems to be heading in, with its increasing alignment with Donald Trump.”
Susan Collins, the senator from Maine, is often mentioned alongside Lisa Murkowski in terms of potential Republican defections in the Senate. Both senators come from states with independent senators, and like Murkowski, Collins has not endorsed Donald Trump for the presidency. Even with Trump as the presumed Republican nominee, Collins remains steadfast in her decision not to support him.
