Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she knew there would be consequences for her vote against Donald Trump at his impeachment trial. And now there are.
The Alaska Republican Party’s Central Committee passed a long resolution on Saturday criticizing the state’s senior U.S. Senator for multiple anti-Trump positions she took.
Murkowski said she doesn’t regret her vote to convict Trump.
“I felt strongly enough to do that at the time, to speak out after about it, and all the while knowing that there would be political repercussions,” she said in an interview Monday. “And I understand that, and I accept that.”
The Central Committee also resolved to recruit a challenger to oppose Murkowski when she runs for re-election next year.
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But the party’s power to stop her is limited, Murkowski said, due to the open primary system Alaska voters adopted last year.
“Well, I think the party still has resources,” she said. “The party still has leadership that can weigh in. But in terms of what would actually be before the voters in a ballot, given the new construct that we voted in by initiative, I think there is some doubt there.”
The resolution, among other things, condemns her for calling on Trump to resign after the January 6 siege on the Capitol. It also rebukes her for refusing to support the confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh and her vote against repealing the Affordable Care Act.
Liz Ruskin is the Washington, D.C., correspondent at Alaska Public Media. Reach her at lruskin@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Liz here.
