Sen. Lisa Murkowski on navigating Washington under Trump, her place in the GOP, and her new memoir
Washington D.C. – In a revealing new memoir and a series of candid interviews, Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska is pulling back the curtain on her experiences in a turbulent Washington D.C., particularly during the Trump administration, and defining her often-tenuous position within the Republican Party. Her book, “Far from Home: An Alaskan Senator Faces the Extreme Climate of Washington, D.C.,” set to be released this Tuesday, June 24, offers a rare glimpse into the mind of one of the Senate’s most independent voices.
Speaking with Norah O’Donnell on CBS Sunday Morning, Murkowski, a third-generation Alaskan, painted a picture of a lawmaker constantly balancing the unique needs of her vast and diverse state with the hyper-partisan pressures of the nation’s capital. It is this commitment to her constituents, she argues, that has been her “true north” in navigating the political landscape.
“My allegiance is not to the Republican Party,” Murkowski stated emphatically, a sentiment that has been both a source of her political strength and a point of friction with her GOP colleagues. “It is to the people who returned me [to the Senate]. And those people were Republicans and Democrats and independents and nonpartisans.”
This independent streak was perhaps most famously on display in 2010 when, after losing the Republican primary to a Tea Party challenger, she staged a historic and successful write-in campaign. That victory, she writes in her memoir, was a liberating moment, reinforcing her belief that her primary duty was to her conscience and the people of Alaska, not to party orthodoxy.
Her relationship with President Donald Trump has been notably complex and often adversarial. Murkowski was one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial following the January 6th Capitol riot. She has openly stated that she did not vote for him in his presidential campaigns. In her memoir, she recounts a particularly “bizarre” meeting in the Oval Office where the then-president was more focused on her hairstyle than the pressing issues facing Alaska.
“It is no secret that I did not support the president, and it’s also no secret that the president did not support me,” Murkowski acknowledged. Trump actively campaigned against her in her last re-election bid, yet both emerged victorious in their respective races. This dynamic, she explained, required a pragmatic approach to ensure she could remain effective for her state.
The Senator has also been a vocal critic of what she perceives as an erosion of congressional authority. She expressed concern that her Republican colleagues have been too willing to cede power to the executive branch, particularly when they agree with the president’s policy goals. “I think it’s Congress not doing their job,” she said, warning against the long-term consequences of such deference.
“Far from Home,” co-written with Charles Wohlforth and published by Forum Books, delves deeper into these challenges. The title itself is a metaphor for the stark contrast between the collaborative spirit she values in Alaska and the “extreme climate” of Washington D.C. The book jacket, featuring Murkowski in a traditional Alaskan parka on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, further emphasizes this duality.
The memoir also touches on deeply personal moments, including her decision-making process on contentious issues like the confirmation of Supreme Court justices and her reflections on key legislative battles. It is, by all accounts, a frank and introspective look at a political career defined by a steadfast refusal to be easily categorized.
As Senator Murkowski embarks on her book tour, her words and writings are likely to resonate with a broad swath of the American electorate who find themselves weary of partisan gridlock. Her message is one of hope for a more collaborative and less polarized political future, a future where, as she puts it, allegiance is to the people, not the party.
