Party lines are rarely ever crossed. And when they are, it makes waves.
Now a U.S. Senator flipped the script by switching parties.
Murkowski Waffles on Party Loyalty Amid Political Shifts
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, stumbled through a vague response on the GD Politics podcast with Galen Druke, calling the idea of caucusing with Democrats an “interesting hypothetical” as the 2027 midterms approach.
Promoting her new memoir, Far From Home, she dodged a clear stance on joining Democrats if they gain three seats for a 50-50 Senate split, revealing her usual indecision that often sidesteps the bold leadership seen elsewhere. Her reluctance to commit stands in contrast to a more decisive approach taking shape under current leadership.
“It’s an interesting hypothetical,” Murkowski said, brushing off Druke’s question about helping Alaskans. “You started off with the right hook here, is if this would help Alaskans.”
While interviews with figures like Annie Tomasini and Ashley Williams hint at scrutiny of past administrations, Murkowski’s hesitancy to align firmly with Republican priorities—especially those gaining traction—leaves her looking out of touch with the direction many favor.
Murkowski’s Indecision Clashes with Alaska’s Needs
Murkowski struggled to pick a side, admitting unease with both Republican and Democratic platforms.
“The problem I have with your hypothetical is that as challenged as we may be on the Republican side, I don’t see the Democrats being much better,” she remarked, exposing her lack of conviction.
“I can’t be somebody that I’m not,” she claimed. “I can’t now say that 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.”
Druke pushed her on caucusing with Democrats or going independent, asking, “Is there world in which by becoming unaligned or an independent that you could help Alaskans, you’d consider it?”
Murkowski’s Isolation Highlights Senate Dysfunction
Druke pressed harder: “If Democrats won three seats in the next election and offered you a way to pass bills that benefit Alaskans if you caucused with them, you’d consider it?”
But Murkowski dodged again with, “I’m evading your answer, of course, because it is so, extremely hypothetical.”
“It is a different way of looking at addressing our problems rather than just saying it’s red and it’s blue,” she added, vaguely offering, “There’s some openness to exploring something different than the status quo.”
Her past moves, like voting to convict Trump during his second impeachment and dismissing his “big, beautiful bill” deadline as “arbitrary,” point to her drift from the party’s renewed focus.
“I don’t want us to be able to say we met the date, but our policies are less than we would want,” she told Axios, wary of conference delays.
