A Reelected Murkowski Would Remain Republican
img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-42373" title="Lisa Murkowski" src="/files/wxrimport/2010-10/lisa-murkowski1.jpg" alt="" width="205" height="105" /><Politico reports:
At the first debate of the general election, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski declared Thursday that she will remain a Republican if she wins her write-in bid to retain her seat.
“I am Republican. I have been a Republican since I was 18, ” said Murkowski. “I will always be a Republican.”
Murkowski’s assertion is a mixed blessing for national Republicans, who are supporting the man who defeated her in the GOP primary in August, Joe Miller. On the one hand, her continued candidacy stands to hurt Miller by siphoning off votes from him, making way for Murkowski or Democratic nominee Scott McAdams to win.
On the other hand, Murkowski’s words also signal that she will continue to caucus with the Republicans in the lame-duck session and, if she wins reelection, throughout the next Congress and beyond.
There’s been some quiet speculation about Murkowski’s partisan future, in part because as a write-in candidate, public polls show she has a great deal of support from Democrats and unaffiliated voters.
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