Alaska’s self-proclaimed “moderate” Republican Lisa Murkowski has confirmed she’s seriously considering abandoning the GOP to become an independent, proving what conservatives have long suspected about her questionable party loyalty.
Key Takeaways
- Senator Lisa Murkowski has openly admitted she’s considering leaving the Republican Party to become an Independent, citing potential benefits for Alaskans.
- Murkowski has a long history of opposing conservative positions and President Trump, cementing her reputation as a “Republican In Name Only” (RINO)
- Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system provides Murkowski with political protection that would make her party switch viable, though the system faces potential repeal in 2026
- Despite her disagreements with Republicans, Murkowski admits Democrats have “not only their share of problems, but quite honestly, they’ve got some policies that I just inherently disagree with.”
- Murkowski’s next election isn’t until 2028, giving her time to test the political waters as a potential Independent.
Murkowski Confirms Potential GOP Departure
Senator Lisa Murkowski has finally said the quiet part out loud. After years of voting against Republican priorities and publicly opposing President Trump, the Alaska senator is now openly discussing abandoning the party altogether. In a revealing interview with Galen Druke for his GD Politics podcast, Murkowski acknowledged that becoming an Independent is “a possibility” she’s seriously weighing. When asked if she would consider such a move if it would benefit Alaskans, Murkowski’s response was telling, suggesting her party loyalty has clear limits.
“There may be that possibility,” she told Galen Druke in an interview excerpt of his GD Politics podcast, scheduled to post in full on Tuesday,” Murkowski confirmed, adding, “You’ve started off with the right hook here, is ‘if this would help Alaskans.'” Despite these clear indications of her wavering allegiance, Murkowski was quick to distance herself from Democrats as well, acknowledging fundamental policy disagreements with the left that would make a complete party switch unlikely.
BREAKING: Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski enrages MAGA by breaking ranks from Donald Trump over his disgraceful Oval Office ambush of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy: "I am sick to my stomach."
And she wasn't done there…
"This week started with administration… pic.twitter.com/nipELLjeU2
— Occupy Democrats (@OccupyDemocrats) March 4, 2025
A History of Republican Betrayal
Murkowski’s potential departure from the GOP shouldn’t surprise anyone familiar with her voting record. She has consistently positioned herself against conservative priorities, most notably as a vocal critic of President Trump within the Senate. Her 2022 re-election campaign relied heavily on Democratic voters after Trump endorsed her Republican challenger, Kelly Tshibaka. In fact, Murkowski has maintained an unusual coalition of Democrats and moderate Republicans in Alaska that has kept her in office despite her frequent breaks with party orthodoxy.
“I would be not being honest with you if I said I’ve never been asked … ‘Why don’t you switch?’ Or people have said: ‘You should switch,'” Murkowski admitted in an interview with Semafor, confirming that the idea of caucusing with Democrats has been raised repeatedly throughout her career.
Even in her memoir, aptly titled “Far from Home,” Murkowski acknowledges her outsider status within the GOP, writing, “I can’t do that. I can’t be somebody that I’m not. I can’t now say, I want this job so much that I’m going to pretend to be somebody that I’m not. That’s not who I am.” While she frames this as principled independence, many conservatives see it as a clear admission that her values simply don’t align with the Republican Party’s platform.
Alaska’s Ranked-Choice System Provides Political Cover
What makes Murkowski’s potential party switch particularly viable is Alaska’s controversial ranked-choice voting system, which she has benefited from tremendously. This system allows her to bypass traditional party primaries where conservative voters would likely reject her candidacy. Instead, she can rely on a coalition of Democrats, independents, and moderate Republicans to secure re-election. It’s no coincidence that Murkowski strongly supports this system, which faces a potential repeal vote in 2026.
“I know that when I separate myself, say from my party, or take a position or make a statement that would be viewed as counter to the president, I know that there are those who don’t like it,” Murkowski said in her GD Politics interview, acknowledging the political consequences of her frequent breaks with Republican leadership.
With her next election not coming until 2028, Murkowski has ample time to test the political waters as an Independent. The timing of her revelation seems calculated to maximize her political flexibility while minimizing immediate electoral consequences. For conservatives who have long considered her a RINO (Republican In Name Only), her potential departure might be welcomed as a moment of honesty in an otherwise disingenuous political career.
