Alaska GOP censures Murkowski
In a somewhat expected announcement, the Alaska Republican Party last week released a resolution officially sanctioning U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski. According to the resolution, Sen. Murkowski has consistently acted “contrary to the Alaska Republican Party platform and the best interests of the State of Alaska.” The party went even further and vowed to nominate a challenger to “oppose and prohibit” Murkowski from winning reelection next year.
The resolution lists several reasons for censuring Murkowski, who has historically not been afraid to break from the party. According to the resolution, a few areas where Murkwoski has been in conflict with the Alaska GOP include her opposition of limits on abortion, her vote against repealing the Affordable Care Act and her opposition to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation. More recently, Murkowski was the sole Republican Senator to vote against an amendment of the American Rescue Plan Act that would have prohibited funds from going to schools that allow transgender female athletes to compete. Another listed “offense” was her support for Deb Haaland as Secretary of the Interior. Haaland, the resolution reads, is an “outspoken opponent of resource development on public lands, which is so important to Alaska’s economy.”
Roughly half of the resolution focuses on Murkowski’s opposition— evidenced in both statements and votes—to former U.S. President Donald J. Trump. The resolution explains that Murkowski didn’t support many of his policies benefitting Alaskans. Specific instances the resolution cites include Murkowski’s demand that Trump resign following the January 6 insurrection, her vote to hold an impeachment trial in the Senate and, finally, her vote to convict Trump of high crimes and misdemeanors. The party resolved that it “separates itself from Senator Murkowski’s conviction vote of President Trump.”
A censure from the Alaska GOP was not surprising, considering that several Republican lawmakers who voted to convict Trump were censured by their state parties. In the weeks following her vote to convict Trump, Murkowski was denounced by numerous local Republican parties.
When speaking at the Alaska Capitol in Juneau, Murkowski said she was not afraid of the implications of her vote. She knew that a censure
was a possibility and said that the party has the right to “make that statement.”
However, she told the Associated Press, “I will make the statement, again, that my obligation is to support the Constitution that I have pledged to uphold, and I will do that, even if it means that I have to oppose the direction of my state party.” Although she has separated herself from Trump and revealed that she did not vote for him, Murkowski has made it clear that she will remain a Republican. This is a difficult position to be in, as it puts her at odds with the large faction of the party who remain loyal to Trump.
But just how much Murkowski’s opposition of Trump may cost her remains to be seen. Of the seven senators who voted to convict Trump, Murkowski is the only one up for reelection next year. A recent change to the way Alaska conducts its elections will likely work in her favor. Last year, voters passed Ballot Measure 2, which implements rankedchoice voting. The measure does away with partisan primaries, replacing them with “top four” primaries, in which all candidates regardless of party affiliation will appear on one ballot, and the four that receive the most votes move on to the general election ballot. This means that moderate candidates such as Murkowski do not need to worry about being primaried out by more radical opponents.
As opposed to the current system, ranked choice voting favors moderate candidates who appeal to the largest number of people. Another implication of ranked choice voting is that without primary elections, the support of the party is not as integral for candidates as it once was.