U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski made it official: She’s running for re-election.
“I will work with anyone, from either party, to advance Alaska’s priorities,” she said in a campaign launch video. “I will always stand up to any politician or special interest that threatens our way of life.”
Murkowski has been in the Senate almost 19 years. She was first appointed by her father, then-Gov. Frank Murkowski, and was elected to her first full term in 2004. In 2010 she won re-election as a write-in candidate after losing the Republican primary to a more conservative candidate.
Murkowski is considered a moderate Republican. She voted to impeach former President Donald Trump at his second Senate trial but not his first. Trump has vowed to come to Alaska to campaign against her.
RELATED: Murkowski voted to convict Trump. Now she’ll run against a candidate he backs
Murkowski has so far raised $4.6 million for the 2022 campaign.
Her best funded challenger is conservative Republican Kelly Tshibaka, who has raised $1.2 million and has Trump’s endorsement.
This will be Alaska’s first election using its new open primary. The top four candidates, regardless of party, will advance to the general, where the winner will be chosen by ranked choice voting.
Liz Ruskin is the Washington, D.C., correspondent at Alaska Public Media. Reach her at lruskin@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Liz here.
