Of the seven Republicans in the Senate who voted to impeach Trump last year, Ms. Murkowski is the only one to face voters this year. She has not avoided that distinction; she speaks openly about her disdain for Mr Trump and his influence on her party. She has also supported Deb Haaland, Mr. Biden’s Secretary of the Interior and the first Native American to serve in the post, and boasted of her leadership role in negotiating the infrastructure bill.
It has caused some unpleasant moments, she and her family say.
“On the one hand, if she had chosen not to run, I would have fully supported myself because it was just like, ‘Damn girl, this has been a long road,'” said Anne Gore, the nephew of Mrs Murkowski. “But on the other side you’re like, ‘Oh dear mother of Jesus, God on a bicycle – thank goodness you’re running,’ because, you know, we can’t lose any more moderates.”
Although Ms. Murkowski has never secured more than 50 percent of the vote in a general election, this year she could benefit from the new electoral rules, which favor candidates with the greatest appeal in a state where the majority of voters are not affiliated.
“I don’t think it changes their behavior, but it rewards behavior that aligns with the sentiment of all Alaskans, rather than the partisan few,” said Scott Kendall, a former legal counsel to Ms. Murkowski who remains involved in a lawsuit. super PAC supported her re-election and favored the new rules.
Kendall said his drive for statewide change was independent of the senator’s campaign, arguing that his goal was “to treat every Alaska voter the same and give them the same amount of power.”
There is no doubt that it has produced a kinder landscape for Ms. Murkowski and appeals to the middle. At least one candidate, libertarian Sean Thorne, jumped into the race because of the potential to win in a wide-ranging primaries.
