Senator Lisa Murkowski says she is done with Donald Trump, and is considering leaving the GOP.
“I wish that as Republicans, we had … a nominee that I could get behind,” Murkowski told CNN. “I certainly can’t get behind Donald Trump.”
When asked if she would consider becoming an Independent, Murkowski said she was very independent-minded, and regrets that her party is becoming the party of Trump.
Murkowski said: “I am navigating my way through some very interesting political times. Let’s just leave it at that.”
Appointed in 2002 under the George W. Bush administration, she first found herself at odds with the Republican Party as Sarah Palin was a VP candidate. Palin was very critical of her father, Frank Murkowski, a former Alaska governor.
She was also at odds with the 2010 Tea Party movement. She skated to reelection for her next two terms, even after her impeachment vote in 2021. She voted against Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court appointment, and supported Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Murkowski is now clear that she’s moving past Trump. She’s denounced Trump’s remarks about Jewish people who vote for Democrats must hate their religion, and that he views January 6 prisoners as “hostages” and “patriots” who deserve a pardon.
Murkowski and Sen. Susan Collins both endorsed Nikki Haley.
Before Haley ended her campaign, Murkowski told NBC News that she wasn’t sure how she’d approach the presidential election if Haley dropped out — and signaled she wasn’t alone in her uncertainty.
“Lisa Murkowski is not the only one in this camp right now,” she said.