The next few months are going to tell us a lot about what Congress might look like come January, 2027. PZ’s Murfster has written multiple insightful articles about how a wave of Congressional retirements can lead to a wave election. We’ve seen early announcements from Congress Critters saying they were stepping aside. The list of GOP Senators is notable: Tuberville of Alabama, Blackburn of Tennessee, Ernst from Iowa, and Tillis of North Carolina. Now there’s another Senator, one from a red state who I’ve just learned has been considering not so much retirement but changing jobs.
Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski hails from the largest state geographically but one with one of the lowest populations. It’s detached by more than the lengthy stretch of Canada and Washington state. It’s people, both the indigenous and the descendants of settlers tend to think of themselves as being apart in more than physical distance. Several decades ago I spent some time in Alaska and was startled by the references to “outside.” In any case, Alaska like any other state is allotted 2 United States Senators and Murkowski is currently one of them. More importantly she’s voted against her Party’s line just barely enough to hold outsize influence.
Murkowski has like her counterpart Susan Collins, also from a northern and sparsely populated state albeit on the other side of north America been someone Democrats have pinned their hopes on for crucial votes. And more often than not wound up disappointing us. In her latest cave to Trump she voted for the BBB and it’s going to hit her state hard. She HAS cast votes that have angered her own Party and Trump and could find herself in a bruising primary. Murkowski has lost a primary before but managed re-election as an independent and rejoined the GOP and it’s caucus. Trump’s control over the GOP is now total and that near impossible trick would be unlikely to pull off a second time.
I’m not up on Alaska politics but it seems a given she’d be facing a primary challenge again. Apparently, at least according to this article from Raw Story she’s been thinking about her future for a while. It seems she’s tired of the Senate and DC which let’s face it is less than rewarding than it once was:
In yet another sign that Republicans have become disillusioned with operating in a Congress under GOP control, longtime Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) is reportedly toying with the idea of leaving to run for governor of Alaska.
According to Puck News’ Leigh Ann Caldwell, who reported Murkowski had been thinking about this a month before, the senator told her this week, “I have not ruled it out.”
She added that she has the “luxury” of mulling over her next move for “months.”
Despite casting a deciding vote for his BBB Murkowski fears retaliation from Trump. I’d say she’s got good reason to worry. While most of the Senators I listed earlier are simply retiring from politics Murkowski wants to try what Sen. ‘Tub-O-Lard’ is doing and swap out a Senate seat for one in the Governor’s Mansion. I actually think Tuberville can, as he did in getting elected to the Senate parlay his football coach status into office.
I’m not so sure Murkowski has anything like the worship a college football coach in a football crazy state has. Also, just as I doubt if she loses a primary (with Trump trashing her she probably will) she’ll be able to pull off winning as an independent candidate. Murkowski says she’s got the luxury of months to ‘mull things over’ but she’s already been ‘thinking’ for a good while now. She sees the writing on the wall.
Clearly she doesn’t want to retire from politics. However I suspect she’s going to be doing a LOT of polling in the next couple of months. She doesn’t have all that long to decide what she’s going to do. I have a feeling she might find her chances for Governor are even less than remaining in the Senate. She could just go ahead and like most of the others (and perhaps Collins too?) decide to step aside. However, if she fights it out for another Senate term we might find Alaska in play if the right Democrat goes up against her. Stay tuned.
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“PZ’s Murfster has written multiple insightful articles about how a wave of Congressional retirements can lead to a wave election.”
Agreed but, at the pace things are going IF there are elections! The Democratic Party has to get ahead of that threat to try to forestall it.
They hold elections in Russia…somehow putin always wins while his rivals fall out of windows. Election? The last election was the last one with a chance to stop all this…and the fat phucked up greedy half educated people forgot what it took to have a republic. Hell…55,000 soliders died at Gettysburg in three days. Phuck you America. Oh nevermind…I forgot orangebob shitpants is busy raping you and all your goddamn institutions. You’re getting phucked hourly. Sit back and enjoy mutherfuckers. “My hate will die with you”..
Robert the Bruce. Braveheart. That compound title has nothing to do with a country full of cowards. I now find myself, as a veteran, with a family of veterans, that has fought in every modern conflict, a man without a country…just an oath to the constitution…which is shit on daily by every branch of our new nazi government. What shall we do???