Alaska’s senior Senator, Princess Lisa Murkowski, originally inherited her Senate seat like a feudal title from her father, Frank Murkowski, when the old man was elected governor in 2002. But credit where credit’s due; she has managed to hold that seat ever since. In 2010, she was successfully primaried by Republican Joe Miller, and managed to win nonetheless on a write-in campaign. She has a coalition, a brew of squishy Republicans and Anchorage and Juneau Democrats who are (properly) aware that the Great Land probably won’t send a Democrat to the Senate.
That coalition may be coming apart now.
The Democrats are done with the “using” of Sen. Lisa Murkowski. Now, they are into the “abusing” phase of the relationship.
US Sen. Ruben Gallego, an Arizona first-term Democrat, was brought in as the featured guest at a virtual “emergency town hall” hosted by the Alaska Democratic Party on Wednesday evening, giving him a platform to bash and trash Alaska’s congressional delegation.
Gallego used the platform to sharply criticize Alaska’s Republican Sens. Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, both of whom supported the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Gallego had some pretty sharp words for Princess Lisa. Oh, most of what he said was pure horse squeeze, but that won’t matter to those Anchorage and Juneau Democrats. To them, horse squeeze is ambrosia.
“Alaska’s senators sold out their constituents by backing billionaire tax cuts while slashing Medicaid and children’s health care,” Gallego said in a statement released alongside the event. “People will die because of these cuts, thousands will lose coverage, and families will face impossible choices.”
Alaska Democrats, who in 2022 effectively cleared the path for Murkowski’s reelection by fielding only token opposition, now appear to be turning against the longtime incumbent. A Democrat flyer circulating on social media reads: “COWARDS DON’T BELONG IN ALASKA — Get Murkowski out in 2028.”
We should note that Alaska’s most prominent Democrat, former Congresswoman Mary Peltola, has already taken some jabs at Princess Lisa:
See Also: Friends No More? Mary Peltola Jabs Lisa Murkowski Over Vote for OBBB
Mary Peltola hasn’t yet announced any further political ambitions, although it’s rumored she’s considering a run for governor; Governor Mike Dunleavy’s term ends in 2026, and he is term-limited.
Could Alaska Democrats going to finally give Alaska’s Republicans a gift – a committed Republican senator? That remains to be seen; Senator Murkowski has already mused about turning independent, but Democrats, in the wake of the One Big Beautiful Act’s passage, aren’t likely to be mollified by a gesture like that.
See Also: New: Lisa Murkowski Considers Bailing on GOP, Turning Independent
Senator Murkowski’s vote on the OBBA was contingent, of course, on her bringing in a lot of federal dollars to Alaska, mostly in the form of waivers to things like Alaska’s SNAP program. The real substantive gains for Alaskans in that legislation were brought in by Congressman Nick Begich, including a substantial increase in Alaska’s share of oil and gas lease revenues. This will shore up the state’s Permanent Fund, of which every Alaskan is a shareholder. That’s a real win.
Still, nobody should underestimate Princess Lisa’s political skills. She’s managed to pull off win after win, even, as we noted, a write-in win. Give the devil her due; she’s a survivor. But there may be an opening here, if Democrats keep targeting her for that OBBA vote. If she is to be sent to the sidelines, it won’t be Alaska Democrats that do it; Alaska Republicans will have to pick a solid candidate and back them all the way down the line, ranked-choice voting or not. If we can do that – if we can actually herd all the cats that are the Alaska GOP – maybe, finally, we’ll be able to send Lisa Murkowski into retirement.
Alaska isn’t a huge state, politically. We have a small population for such a huge area, and in presidential elections, we only have three electoral votes. But Alaska’s importance over the next few years will only grow as the Trump administration ends decades of Washington treating the Great Land like a huge national park. You can’t talk about energy or mineral resources without talking about Alaska, and you can’t talk about geopolitics, especially in the nations of the Pacific, without talking about Alaska. We need strong, committed, conservative representation in Washington. Alaska Democrats, in their petulant sniping against Lisa Murkowski, may actually help us in that.
Editor’s Note: The Deep State is working overtime to subvert President Trump’s agenda and the will of the people.
Help RedState continue to tell the truth about the efforts of unelected career government officials working against the American people. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your membership.
