Sen. Lisa Murkowski is running for reelection in 2022, shrugging off opposition from former President Donald Trump and the Alaska Republican Party.
The third-term Republican’s political prospects are bolstered by Alaska’s new voting laws. Rather than having to face the state GOP-endorsed Kelly Tshibaka in a closed nominating contest, Murkowski is running in an open jungle primary. The top four finishers in that August race will advance to a November general election decided by ranked-choice voting. Under these parameters, Murkowski is competitive — despite her falling out with Trump and his grassroots supporters.
Murkowski revealed her plans Friday in a campaign video.
“Lisa Murkowski puts Alaska first,” the video’s voice-over declares in a phrase that recalls the “America First” slogan popularized by Trump inside the Republican Party.
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Upon the video’s conclusion, Murkowski appears to reference Trump and other Republicans who are opposing her reelection bid. The former president announced his intention to campaign against the senator in the midterm elections after she voted to convict him on one article of impeachment, approved by the House in the waning days of his White House tenure, alleging him responsible for the Jan. 6 riot at the United States Capitol.
“In this election, lower 48 outsiders are going to try to grab Alaska’s Senate seat for their partisan agendas. They don’t understand our state — and frankly, they couldn’t care less about your future,” Murkowski says, looking straight at the camera. “I will work with anyone from either party to advance Alaska’s priorities. And I will always stand up to any politician or special interest that threatens our way of life.”
BREAKING NEWS: I am excited to announce that I’m running for re-election to continue representing the great state of Alaska.
Watch more on why I’m running to be your independent voice! pic.twitter.com/afTzZSQ0qT
— Lisa Murkowski (@LisaForSenate) November 12, 2021
Traditionally, Alaska held closed primaries, in which registered Democratic and Republican voters picked their nominees. Those two candidates would then proceed to the general election. But in 2020, Alaska voters approved an initiative to overhaul state voting laws that created a jungle primary and ranked-choice voting. Absent this reform, Murkowski might have been in deep political trouble and run the risk of being ousted in the primary, as happened in 2010.
That year, Murkowski lost the Republican primary to Joe Miller. She won reelection unexpectedly a few months later after ignoring her loss in the GOP primary and waging a write-in campaign, topping Miller and the Democratic nominee. Six years later, Murkowski cruised to renomination in the Republican primary, easily winning reelection.
Tshibaka, who has been endorsed by Trump, is dismissing suggestions that Murkowski has the upper hand in the Alaska Senate race. In a statement, she accused the incumbent of providing crucial support to President Joe Biden’s liberal agenda, saying she has lost touch with Alaskans and would pay a political price for doing so next year.
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“Even the Alaska Republican Party has overwhelmingly censured Murkowski, told her not to identify herself as a Republican in Alaska, and instead endorsed my candidacy over a year before the election,” Tshibaka said. “She has been an enthusiastic enabler of the radical Biden administration that is devastating our energy industry and ruining the Alaska economy.”
Tshibaka added: “She has consistently cast votes that gain her favor in D.C. cocktail parties, but wreak havoc on workers back home in Alaska. And she actively worked against President Trump, whose policies were the best that Alaska has ever known.”
