Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) has been in the news a lot lately, and not all in ways which have boded well for her future with the Republican Party. The latest news comes from Friday, that Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) is endorsing Sen. Murkowski, Must Read Alaska reported. The site has been following Sen. Murkowski's possible re-election and primary battle with former Alaska Commissioner of Administration Kelly Tshibaka.
The endorsement came during a Friday morning podcast with Politico which featured both senators, which Sen. Manchin said he would do "in a heartbeat." He also mentioned "I’ve met a lot of good people in Alaska, they know when they’ve got the real deal. And they see the person that basically is bringing both sides together, trying to look for the best interest. People understand that they have a person that understands Alaska and has Alaska in her blood and in every part of her veins and every morsel of her body."
Sen. Murkowski, who has not actually officially decided if she will run for re-election, said "I would welcome his endorsement."
While Sen. Manchin may be considered a moderate, he is nevertheless a Democrat. That political party affiliation didn't go unnoticed by Tshibaka. The statement not only made mention of "The D.C. Swamp" but also wondered when others would cross party lines to endorse Sen. Murkowski. "But why stop with Manchin? Socialist Bernie Sanders works to kill Alaska's oil, gas, and mining jobs and shares Murkowski's pro-abortion views," the statement asked. "Will Bernie endorse Murkowski next?"
.@KellyForAlaska:
— Tim Murtaugh (@TimMurtaugh) April 23, 2021
"The Swamp protects its own & Manchin knows Murkowski is more like him than Alaskans she’s forgotten about."
Like Manchin, Murkowski voted:
??To remove Trump after he was gone
??To keep Obamacare
??For amnesty for illegal immigrants
Bernie endorsing next? https://t.co/2h8dVQG5Lj pic.twitter.com/oPNvwzJuYW
As Tshibaka references in her statement, Sen. Murkowski, often votes along pro-abortion lines, and has a mixed record on abortion.
Some of the most recent unpleasant news about Sen. Murkowski, as Reagan reported, is that she voted to confirm Vanita Gupta as the Associate Attorney General, something Matt took quite the issue with.
Former President Donald Trump, whom Sen. Murkowski voted in favor of convicting in his impeachment trial, has vocally opposed Murkowski and said he would support her primary challenger. Tshibaka has assistance from Tim Murtaugh, the Trump 2020 Communication Director, and had an impressive fundraising start. Meanwhile, the senator has the backing of Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), a group aligned with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), as Reagan also reported.
