Current Events > Lisa Murkowski Might Consider Leaving the GOP

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.yahoo.com/news/lisa-murkowski-done-donald-trump-101529167.html

The veteran Alaska Republican, one of seven Republicans who voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial amid the aftermath of January 6, 2021, is done with the former president and said she absolutely would not vote for him.

I wish that as Republicans, we had a nominee that I could get behind, Murkowski told CNN. I certainly cant get behind Donald Trump.

The partys shift toward Trump has caused Murkowski to consider her future within the GOP. In the interview, she would not say if she would remain a Republican.

Asked if she would become an independent, Murkowski said: Oh, I think Im very independent minded. And she added: I just regret that our party is seemingly becoming a party of Donald Trump.

Pressed on if that meant she might become an independent, Murkowski said: I am navigating my way through some very interesting political times. Lets just leave it at that.

EyeWontBeFooled posted...

Holy crap, Jeffries has a chance.

But she's in the Senate.

EyeWontBeFooled posted...

Holy crap, Jeffries has a chance.

She's a Senator and thus has no say in who is speaker of the house.

EyeWontBeFooled posted...

Holy crap, Jeffries has a chance.

She's a senator. She doesn't vote on house speaker.

But its certainly a sign that more house members might quit.

Humble_Novice posted...

But she's in the Senate.

ScazarMeltex posted...

She's a Senator and thus has no say in who is speaker of the house.

Whoops, I'm tired. Disregard last post

Republicans losing a Senator is a way bigger deal than someone from the House of Representatives in the long term.

That said, if she becomes independent chances are she will still caucus and mostly vote with Republicans. The only difference is she won't technically be a Republican.

Fuck her.

If the Dems take the House and get their caucus in the Senate to 58 in the fall, think Murkowski and Collins would vote to codify Roe?

MLBloomy posted...

If the Dems take the House and get their caucus in the Senate to 58 in the fall, think Murkowski and Collins would vote to codify Roe?

They both voted against codifying it 2 years ago.

They also voted against the John Lewis voting rights act.

These people aren't good. They're just as deplorable as their parties worst.

ClayGuida posted...

They both voted against codifying it 2 years ago.

They also voted against the John Lewis voting rights act.

These people aren't good. They're just as deplorable as their parties worst.

things have changed in the last 2 years, particularly around abortion rights/views

She can be a conservative Dem

famfam posted...

things have changed in the last 2 years, particularly around abortion rights/views

This was directly after the Supreme Court judgement. Nothing has changed since then. Everything everyone said would happen has.

ClayGuida posted...

They both voted against codifying it 2 years ago.

They also voted against the John Lewis voting rights act.

These people aren't good. They're just as deplorable as their parties worst.

At least she voted for the Respect for Marriage Act so she isn't a 100% complete abomination

ClayGuida posted...

They both voted against codifying it 2 years ago.

Which bill was that, and what other things did it have? Both co-sponsored a bill to codify it early last year.

https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/317

MLBloomy posted...

If the Dems take the House and get their caucus in the Senate to 58 in the fall, think Murkowski and Collins would vote to codify Roe?

There is no realistic way Democrats get up to 58 seats in 2024. It would be considered a good election for them if they just maintain their majority.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_United_States_Senate_elections

The most "realistic" seats that could flip to Democrats are Texas and Florida and those are still real long shots. All the other red states in the map are virtual guaranteed Republican locks unless the candidate has a really huge scandal. Also, Republicans are almost guaranteed to flip West Virginia.

Lots of the more "moderate" (I use this word loosely) Republicans are slowly realizing that the inmates are running the Asylum and don't want any part of it.

MLBloomy posted...

Which bill was that, and what other things did it have? Both co-sponsored a bill to codify it early last year.

https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/317

https://alaskawatchman.com/2022/05/12/murkowski-votes-against-national-abortion-bill-favors-her-own-version/

I think a big reason a lot of House of Representative Republicans are retiring and Murkowski is considering going "independent" is because Trump is siphoning off money from the Republican party for his legal fees. Normally, the party would have more money available for down ballot races.

Cool, so she will still vote for the same garbage MAGA policies while claiming shes not one of them.

She's been the most reasonable still-Republican (hasn't already gone independent) in the Senate...and probably Congress in general, for a while now. Far better than blue-state-elected Susan "I'm very concered" Collins.
Not that surprised, and her defecting would be quite welcome.

Alaska is very interesting. I recall it being like a 60/40 red state around Obama's time, and the past decade it's quietly become very purple. Florida, Arizona, Georgia, and Ohio all get the attention for their major shifts left or right, but Alaska's seems more drastic than any of them and no one talks about it. I wonder what changed? Florida it's all the loonies moving there, Arizona it's literally just blowback for Trump pissing on McCain's grave.... but why has Alaska moderated so much so fast?

MLBloomy posted...

If the Dems take the House and get their caucus in the Senate to 58 in the fall, think Murkowski and Collins would vote to codify Roe?

There's absolutely no chance of the Dems hitting 58 in the Senate.