Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski said this week that she has considered caucusing with Senate Democrats, citing ideological differences within the Republican conference and questions from constituents about her political alignment.

Her comments have renewed speculation about her long-term party affiliation and her role in a Senate increasingly shaped by partisan realignment.

Speaking on the podcast GD Politics with Galen Druke, Murkowski acknowledged she has been approached about switching parties.

“I would be not being honest with you if I said I’ve never been asked … ‘Why don’t you switch?’ Or people have said: ‘You should switch,’” Murkowski said.

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While she noted that she has not seriously pursued the idea of formally joining the Democratic Party, she confirmed the suggestion has been raised multiple times and that she has considered it.

“Have I considered it? Yes, because I’ve been asked the question,” she said.

However, Murkowski claimed that her ideology still aligns more closely with Republicans, despite ongoing frustrations.

“Do I feel that within my Republican conference, I always feel like I’m right here in my political home? No. There’s some directions and policies that I disagree with,” she said.

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“As challenged as I think we may be on the Republican side, I don’t see Democrats being much better. They’ve got not only their own share of problems but, quite honestly, they’ve got some policies that I just inherently disagree with.”

Murkowski also addressed the possibility of becoming an independent, a path taken recently by Senators Kyrsten Sinema (AZ) and Joe Manchin (WV).

Both lawmakers left the Democratic Party but continued to caucus with Senate Democrats.

Asked whether that option was on the table for her, Murkowski called it an “interesting hypothetical” and said such a decision would depend on whether it would ultimately benefit Alaskans.

She pointed to Alaska’s bipartisan political culture as a factor in her thinking.

The current Alaska State Senate is controlled by a coalition of nine Democrats and six Republicans, while the State House majority is composed of 14 Democrats, five independents, and two Republicans.

According to data from GovTrack.us, Murkowski is ranked as the second most liberal Republican in the Senate, trailing only Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME).

Murkowski had voted with Joe Biden’s position nearly 80% of the time and voted in favor of confirming Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court.

She previously voted against the confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

In the 2022 U.S. Senate election in Alaska, Murkowski defeated Trump-endorsed challenger Kelly Tshibaka. Alaska uses a ranked-choice voting system.

In the initial round, Murkowski received 113,495 votes, Tshibaka earned 111,480, and Democratic candidate Pat Chesbro was eliminated after receiving 27,145 votes.

Murkowski won the runoff with 136,330 votes to Tshibaka’s 117,534, securing a victory largely due to second-choice votes from Democratic voters.

Murkowski’s reelection campaign also had the support of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and the National Republican Senatorial Committee, underscoring the rift within the Republican Party between establishment figures and Trump-aligned candidates.

In recent remarks, Murkowski claimed members of Congress are afraid of retribution from President Donald Trump.

“Everybody lives in fear of Trump,” she said.

As of now, Murkowski remains a registered Republican, but her statements this week mark the clearest indication yet that she is open to reconsidering her position within the party.

WATCH:

Lisa Murkowski says that if the balance in the Senate goes from 53-47 back to 50-50, she's open to joining with the Democrats to give them the majority pic.twitter.com/Z3gwZfDxhO

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