In a half hour spent with the Capitol press corps this week, Sen. Lisa Murkowski brought up her own electability, which may be in question even for her, a senator who has served since being appointed by her father, Gov. Frank Murkowski, in 2002.
Murkowski brought up election politics in a government building — the Alaska Capitol — straying close to the line of improper use of a government facility for partisan elections.
In remarks that were more animated than her usual pace, Murkowski responded to a reporter’s question about how anyone should believe her when she says things will be OK. She said she has no choice but to try to work with President Donald Trump, and that she expects Elon Musk will try to take her out in the next election cycle.
Here are her remarks:
“I’m not going to compromise my own integrity by hiding from my words when I feel they need to be spoken. I’m going to take the criticism that comes,” Murkowski said.
“It may be, it may be that Elon Musk has decided he’s going to take the next billion dollars that he makes off of Starlink and put it directly against Lisa Murkowski. And you know what? That may happen,” she said, foreshadowing 2028’s election.
Murkowski has been a supporter of fiber optic broadband solutions for Alaska, and has not championed the small, low-orbit satellites that Starlink has provided for Alaskan customers, a solution that has been cheaper and much-preferred by many in the 49th state.
Although there is a viable alternative, Murkowski has pushed for hundreds of millions of dollars in grants for companies that are part of the Alaska Broadband Initiative, the fiber optic cable solution; these companies also donate to her campaigns for reelection. Starlink has been cut out of that grant process by the fiber optic cable companies winning the awards and the federal government that is picking winners and losers in broadband.
