Sen. Lisa Murkowski To Run For Re-Election Defying Trump

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) has announced that she plans to run for reelection next year, taking on President Donald Trump and the GOP base.

Murkowski was one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump over the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.

In her announcement, Murkowski did not mention Trump: “My heart is, and always has been, in Alaska, and that’s why I am proud to announce my campaign for reelection to the US Senate in 2022. I pledged to be Alaska, always. I’m still committed to those values and meeting the challenges Alaskans face today.”

Murkowski has held political office since 2002. Nonetheless, she is about to face a major political battle in 2022, with Trump backing Alaska Commissioner of Administration Kelly Tshibaka over her.

Tshibaka has labelled Murkowski “Biden’s Chief Enabling Officer” and accused her of working “against President Trump, whose policies were the best that Alaska has ever known.”

Still, Murkowski has some pretty notable political allies, namely Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who claims that GOP senators are “all in for Lisa.”

McConnell commented: “She’s a remarkable politician. Other than Strom Thurmond, she’s the only person in American history to win write-in.”

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) has also endorsed her: “People understand that they have a person that understands Alaska and has Alaska in her blood and in every part of her veins and every morsel of her body.”

Article by Elizabeth Letsou