- Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) is Alaska’s senior senator, serving since 2002, and one of the most independent Republicans in the Senate — she was one of seven Republicans to vote to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial and one of two to vote to convict in the first.
- She cast the decisive vote blocking ACA repeal in 2017 (the “skinny repeal” vote), one of the most consequential individual Senate votes of the decade, protecting healthcare coverage for millions while infuriating Republican leadership.
- Murkowski has survived extraordinary electoral adversity: she lost her 2010 Republican primary but won re-election as a write-in candidate — only the second successful write-in Senate campaign in US history — then won again in 2022 under Alaska’s new ranked-choice system.
- Her legislative focus is Alaska-specific: ANWR oil development, Alaska Native rights, fisheries, federal land management, and the unique challenges of serving the most geographically remote and diverse state in the union.
Biography & Career
Lisa Murkowski was born on May 22, 1957, in Ketchikan, Alaska. She attended Georgetown University and then Willamette University College of Law. She practiced law in Alaska before entering politics, serving in the Alaska House of Representatives from 1999 to 2002. In 2002, her father Frank Murkowski, who had been Alaska’s senator, was elected governor and appointed Lisa to fill his Senate vacancy — a nepotistic appointment that initially generated criticism but that she subsequently validated through election victories.
Her 2010 election story is one of the most remarkable in Senate history. She lost her Republican primary to Tea Party challenger Joe Miller. Refusing to concede, she launched a write-in campaign for the general election — an extraordinarily difficult path requiring voters to spell her difficult name correctly on their ballots. She won, becoming only the second senator in US history to win election on write-in votes. The victory demonstrated both her personal political skill and the depth of her Alaska support that transcended the Republican primary electorate.
In 2022, under Alaska’s new ranked-choice voting system (which Murkowski had supported), she won re-election over Republican Kelly Tshibaka (who had Trump’s endorsement) and Democrat Patricia Chesbro. The ranked-choice format effectively insulated her from a Trump-backed primary challenge by allowing voters of different persuasions to rank her as their first or second choice. She enters the 2026 cycle as a senator with a deep Alaska electoral coalition that crosses partisan lines.
Her most nationally significant Senate votes have been her opposition to Trump. She voted to convict in Trump’s first impeachment trial (only one of two Republicans) and again in the second following January 6 (one of seven Republicans). These votes drew intense criticism from Alaska Republicans and Trump himself, who actively worked to defeat her in 2022, but she survived. Her 2017 “thumbs down” vote against the “skinny” ACA repeal alongside John McCain and Susan Collins was one of the defining legislative moments of the Trump era.
Key Policy Positions
Alaska & Energy
Murkowski supports oil and gas development in Alaska including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), a politically contentious issue where her Alaska constituent interests put her to the right of most moderate Republicans. She secured ANWR drilling authorization in the 2017 tax bill. She also supports fisheries protection, Alaska Native subsistence rights, and federal land management approaches that serve Alaska’s unique geography. Her support for ANWR reflects genuine Alaska economic interests, not just ideology, and she has maintained this position through multiple administrations despite environmental opposition.
Healthcare
Murkowski’s 2017 vote blocking ACA repeal is her most consequential healthcare legacy. Alaska has a small, remote, and expensive-to-serve healthcare market, and she was genuinely concerned that the proposed repeal would devastate healthcare access in her state. She has been a consistent supporter of the Indian Health Service, rural hospital funding, and healthcare programs that specifically serve Alaska’s remote communities. Her healthcare position is less ideologically driven than practically Alaska-focused: she will support programs that serve her state regardless of which party’s priorities they align with.
Bipartisanship & Independence
Murkowski is one of the Senate’s most consistent bipartisan dealmakers, working across party lines on legislation that other Republicans avoid. She was a key backer of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (gun safety), and various other cross-party measures. Her Senate career is built on the premise that Alaska’s needs require working with whatever party holds power rather than rigidly aligning with Republican Party orthodoxy. This approach has generated primary challenges but also produced a durable electoral coalition in Alaska that has kept her in office for over two decades.
