Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican and one of President Donald Trump’s most vocal critics within the establishment wing of the party, stated during a podcast that there are certain situations that, if they should arise, would lead her to abandon the GOP and going independent so she could caucus with the Democrats. Since she’s basically halfway there already, the move would, in reality, just be Murkowski finally admitting what we knew all along: she’s a Republican in name only (RINO).
During an episode of the GD Politics podcast, Murkowski told host Galen Druke, “There may be that possibility,” referring to a potential switch to being an independent. Druke asked the Alaskan senator what she would say if Democrats managed to win three seats in the 2026 election and offered to let her pass bills that would benefit her constituents if she opted to caucus with them.
She responded to the question by saying, “You’ve started off with the right hook here, is ‘If this would help Alaskans.” Murkowski and President Trump have bumped heads on several occasions since he took office for the second time in January 2025. The Alaska Republican has accused the president of “walking away from our allies” after Trump got into it with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a meeting in the Oval Office.
Murkowski also ripped into the administration back in May for revoking the temporary protected status of Afghan immigrants, referring to the decision as a “historic betrayal.” Anything, it seems, to avoid putting the needs and concerns of Americans first. Then, in March 2025, Murkowski spoke with the press, accusing fellow members of the GOP of being “afraid” to go against Trump and his ally billionaire Elon Musk, stating the work the two men did to reduce the size of the federal workforce through the Department of Government Efficiency was “traumatizing people.”
During the interview with Druke, Murkowski said, “There is some openness to exploring something different than the status quo.” She did say, however, that ditching her spot in the GOP isn’t the answer. “My problem with your hypothetical is that as challenged as I think we may be on the Republican side, I don’t see the Democrats being much better,” Murkowski explained.
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She then stated that while the Democratic Party has more than enough of its own problems, the biggest hurdle to caucusing with them is their policies, many of which she disagrees with. “And they’ve got not only their share of problems, but quite honestly, they’ve got some policies that I just inherently disagree with,” the senator said. When Politico reached out to Murkowski’s office to get further insight into the Alaska Republican’s statements, they were unable to provide a comment.
Murkowski is often viewed by conservatives within the MAGA movement as a thorn in the side of the presidency and a problem when it comes to implementing portions of the president’s agenda. The GOP is already experiencing turmoil from within due to infighting among its members in Congress. Tension going forward in the years ahead while Trump remains in the White House is not something that is needed.
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