I have seen some people argue that Democrats need to be careful about criticizing our prima donna diva Senator Kyrsten Sinema, because she likes hanging out with Republicans and just might switch parties, returning Mitch McConnell to power.
I don’t buy it. First, Sen. Sinema is much more valuable to Mitch McConnell as a saboteur within the Democratic Party, so he can chortle in his turtle laugh, “see, the divided Democrats can’t even agree among themselves!” Since the lamestream media loves this “divided Dems” meme, this is messaging gold.
Second, the Republicans don’t want her. This political chameleon who has gone from a Green Party fringy candidate to a Democrat in pursuit of her own political ambitions is simply too unreliable and unpredictable for the likes of Mitch McConnell. And Sinema could not defend her seat in a Republican primary because she voted to impeach their “Dear Leader,” and voted to certify the 2020 Electoral College vote. With apologies to Waylon Jennings, Republicans would say You can have her, I don’t want her.
Margaret Carlson at The Daily Beast suggests that the senator we should be talking about switching parties is Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Time for Murkowski to Leave the Dark Side and Join the Dems (subscriber paywall).
Immediately after the MAGA/QAnon insurrection on January 6, Lisa Murkowski said she might leave the GOP — but “absolutely” won’t join the Democrats:
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) became the first Republican senator to call for President Donald Trump’s removal from office over his role in fomenting a violent insurrection, implying that she could leave the party if it continued to align itself with the president.
“I want him out. He has caused enough damage,” Murkowski said in an interview with the Anchorage Daily News’s James Brooks. “But I will tell you, if the Republican Party has become nothing more than the party of Trump, I sincerely question whether this is the party for me.”
Murkowski’s comments seemingly opened up a possibility for Democrats to tilt what is set to be a 50-50 split in the Senate chamber to a one-seat advantage. However, Murkowski tamped down that idea in comments to Alaska Public Media reporter Liz Ruskin, later on Friday, when Ruskin asked if she would consider joining the emerging Democratic majority. “No. No. Absolutely, unequivocally not,” she told Ruskin.
That was then, this is now. The Alaska Republican Party has fully embraced the personality cult of Donald Trump, and just endorsed Sen. Murkowski’s Trump sycophant primary opponent.
Sen. Murkowski: “I sincerely question whether this is the party for me.” They just answered your question for you, senator.
The Anchorage Daily News reports, Alaska Republican Party leaders endorse Tshibaka in U.S. Senate race:
The Alaska Republican State Central Committee on Saturday endorsed Kelly Tshibaka in the 2022 race for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican Lisa Murkowski.
The committee approved Tshibaka’s endorsement in a 58-17 vote during a meeting in Fairbanks.
Tshibaka announced on March 29 that she would run for the Senate seat held by Murkowski, who has been in office since 2002 and is widely viewed as a moderate. Two weeks earlier, the Republican State Central Committee voted 53-17 to censure Murkowski, citing her vote to impeach former President Donald Trump and other votes that have broken with GOP leadership. Alaska Republican Party leaders said at the time that they would recruit someone to run against her.
Murkowski said in a statement to the Daily News that she has fought for Alaskan values in the U.S. Senate and will continue to do so.
She has not yet filed for re-election, a spokesperson for Murkowski said.
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Tshibaka was the Alaska Department of Administration commissioner under Gov. Mike Dunleavy for just over two years before she resigned from the position to run for U.S. Senate.
Oh great, just what America needs, yet another Caribou Barbie to replace that godawful Sarah Palin.
Trump endorsed Tshibaka last month, calling her “MAGA all the way.” Trump said in a statement at the time that he would campaign for Tshibaka in Alaska.
“We now move forward with a united front, determined to defend Alaska from the continued onslaught of the radical Biden administration,” Tshibaka said in the statement Saturday. “It is time for conservative leaders, with courage and common sense, to rise together across the nation.”
Murkowski has seen stiff competition at the ballot box before: In 2010, she experienced a surprise loss to Joe Miller in the Republican primary, but she prevailed in the November general election as a write-in candidate — the first senator to do so in over 50 years.
One complicating factor in the 2022 election is Alaska’s new ranked-choice voting system, poised for implementation under a voter-approved initiative that is being challenged in court. Under the new system, which would end party primaries in Alaska, the top four vote-getters in an open primary advance to the November general election regardless of party affiliation. That opens up the possibility of having multiple candidates from the same party on the general election ballot.
So here’s the deal Senator Murkowski: you don’t have to switch your party registration to Democrat. You can become an independent, but caucus with the Democrats, because the Party of Trump has formally rejected you. If you are not wanted, leave.
In the meantime, this is your opportunity to stick it to Donald Trump and his sycophants in the GQP by helping the Democrats pass some of their priority legislation. You are already working with Sen. Joe Manchin on his version of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Manchin, Murkowski call on Congress to reauthorize Voting Rights Act.
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, wrote a letter Monday calling on Congress to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act, seeking to jump-start a debate on a bipartisan path to bolstering voting access.
“Protecting Americans’ access to democracy has not been a partisan issue for the past 56 years, and we must not allow it to become one now,” they wrote to the top four congressional leaders.
While the letter didn’t name the bill, a Manchin aide said the senators are referring to the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which aims to require states with a recent record of discrimination in voting rights to get federal pre-approval before changing their election laws.
You now know that there will never be any support from Republicans for any voting rights bill. Your only option is to help Democrats pass their version of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, and the For The People Act if you are actually still considering running for reelection in 2022. It is your only hope.
I would recommend that you seriously consider retirement given the politics of your state. This would free you up to help Democrats pass priority legislation for the next 18 months, and retire with your conscience and reputation still intact.
If any of you know Senator Murkowski, please contact her and endorse this plan.
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