Speaking to CNN's Manu Raju last week, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R) made clear that she “certainly can't get behind Donald Trump.”
Now, the moderate Republican from America's “Last Frontier,” is signaling that she may leave the GOP altogether as Trump's campaign to remake the party in his image seems complete. (RELATED: Sen. Menendez Might Run For Reelection As Independent To Help With Legal Bills)
When Raju asked if she would consider running as an independent for reelection, Murkowski hinted that she was contemplating it.
“Oh, I think I'm very independent-minded. I just regret that our party is seemingly becoming a party of Trump,” she responded.
The senator stayed tight-lipped when pushed. “I am navigating my way through some very interesting political times, so let's just leave it at that.” (RELATED: Senate Republicans Block Bipartisan Border Deal)
The Hill's Miranda Nazzaro continues:
The interview comes after the Alaska Republican said earlier this month that she “could not” vote for either Trump or President Biden, who are their respective parties' presumptive nominees.
She instead endorsed former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, who later suspended her GOP presidential bid following a series of primary losses to Trump.
Murkowski is one of the party's most outspoken critics of Trump and was one of seven Republicans who voted to convict the former president in his second impeachment in 2021.
When asked by Raju about Trump's description of imprisoned Jan. 6 rioters as “hostages,” Murkowski said, “What happened on Jan. 6 was an effort by people who stormed the building in an effort to stop an election.”
Late last year, she strongly condemned comments made by Trump suggesting that illegal immigrants were “poisoning the blood” of the country. In a post on X, Murkowski argued the former president's rhetoric was “poisoning our country.”
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