Sen. Lisa Murkowski, asked by a CNN reporter if she would consider changing her party affiliation to “independent,” said that possibility it is not off the table. It just depends on what direction the Republican Party takes.
Murkowski was being interviewed about the news of Sen. Mitch McConnell stepping down as Senate Minority Leader in November.
“It has Republicans reflecting on what happens to the party in the months ahead and has some weighing whether they can fit into a GOP that is more modeled after Trump than the Reagan-Republicanism McConnell embodies,” the Fox News story says.
“I wonder that every day,” Murkowski said to CNN.
Asked if she’d be open to becoming an independent, Murkowski said, “That’s not something I am prepared to discuss in terms of where I am, but I am watching very carefully what we are seeing with the party and the party’s choices and with where Republicans are leaning. And, I am clearly not one who is following the Trump path at all. So again, it is not about Lisa Murkowski. It is like what is our party right now?”
The direction the Republican Party seems to be taking in Alaska is in favor of Trump for president, according to numerous polls. In 2020, Trump won Alaska with 53% of the general election vote; Biden received 43%. This year, the pattern appears to be repeating, and Murkowski is not only vocal in her disapproval of Trump, she voted to impeach Trump in 2021.
That means that Murkowski, even with her 22 years of seniority, likely won’t be in line to become the Senate Minority Leader, because whoever is chosen by the members may need to have a good relationship with Donald Trump, should he be elected in November. McConnell, the longest-serving Senate leader in U.S. history, has refused to endorse Trump for president, and has not spoken to the former president since Jan. 6, 2021, the day the Capitol was overrun with protesters.
Murkowski is fifth in seniority among Republicans in the Senate, not counting McConnell. She comes after Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, Michael Crapo of Idaho, and John Cornyn of Texas. But neither Collins or Murkowski would be contenders for Minority Leader due to their liberal records. Chuck Grassley is also out because he is 90 years old and will be nearly 91 in November.
Although Sen. Rand Paul is mentioned by some as a good option, he comes from Kentucky, as does McConnell, which may make some senators balk at giving Kentucky so much power. Others mentioned include John Barrasso of Wyoming, John Cornyn of Texas, John Thune of South Dakota and Rick Scott of Florida.
