OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Donald Trump looks like he is going to get his wish. A legitimate primary threat to a frequent adversary of his, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski.
Murkowski did vote in Trump’s favor many times, but often when she opposed him she made her opinion very known.
And now it appears that former Alaska Governor and former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin is set to take her on.
If God wants Sarah Palin to run against Murkowski, God is completely out of her mind. #FreshVoicesRise pic.twitter.com/tur3Hh4UNb
— Maverick (@Isellmpls) July 31, 2021
“If God wants me to do it I will,” she said to a Christian crowd on July 22 in Pasadena, California.
“What I would do if I were to announce is say you know what, you guys better be there for me this time because a lot of people weren’t there for me last time and that’s why characterization-wise, I got clobbered,” she said.
She said that after she and the late Sen. John McCain were defeated by former President Obama in 2008 she became the target of many ethics probes that eld her to resign as governor of Alaska.
“The Obama administration sent their flying monkeys,” the former governor said…”it stalled our administration. Every e-mail, every conversation was scrutinized. So, there’s a difference between quitting and saying enough is enough.”
The news will likely be welcomed by Trump who has made it his mission to unseat Murkowski. But, it could be tricky as he has already backed one of Murkowski’s primary opponents, Kelly Tshibaka.
“Lisa Murkowski is bad for Alaska. Her vote to confirm Biden’s Interior Secretary was a vote to kill long sought for, and approved, ANWR, and Alaska jobs. Murkowski has got to go! Kelly Tshibaka is the candidate who can beat Murkowski—and she will. Kelly is a fighter who stands for Alaska values and America First. She is MAGA all the way, pro-energy, strong on the Border, tough on Crime and totally supports our Military and our great Vets. Kelly is a powerful supporter of the Second Amendment and JOBS! I look forward to campaigning in Alaska for Kelly Tshibaka. She has my Complete and Total Endorsement!” he said in an email to his supporters via his Save America PAC.
Tshibaka is the commissioner of the Alaska Department of Administration but Palin has reservations about her.
“Kind of the scary thing about it is I’ve been in politics seems like all my life in Alaska and I never heard of her so that kind of made me hesitant,” she said.
Murkowski was one of seven Republicans who voted to impeach Trump in impeachment trial number two and was a consistent thorn in his side.
“For months, the President has perpetuated false rhetoric that the election was stolen and rigged, even after dozens of courts ruled against these claims,” she said before the trial got underway. “When he was not able to persuade the courts or elected officials, he launched a pressure campaign against his own Vice President, urging him to take actions that he had no authority to do.”
“Such unlawful actions cannot go without consequence and the House has responded swiftly, and I believe, appropriately, with impeachment,” Murkowski said.
The Alaska Republican also highlighted the difference between Trump’s first impeachment trial and the last one.
“This second impeachment stands in stark contrast to what we faced last January — an impeachment that was partisan from the beginning and left no opportunity for a fair trial in the Senate,” she said. “The resolution to impeach President Trump for a second time passed by a vote of 232-197, representing the most bipartisan support and the largest number of votes for a presidential impeachment.”
Prior to that, Murkowski went after Trump over the mayhem at the Capitol.
“I want him to resign. I want him out. He has caused enough damage,” she said.
“I think he should leave. He said he’s not going to show up. He’s not going to appear at the inauguration. He hasn’t been focused on what is going on with COVID. He’s either been golfing or he’s been inside the Oval Office fuming and throwing every single person who has been loyal and faithful to him under the bus, starting with the vice president,” the senator said.
“He doesn’t want to stay there. He only wants to stay there for the title. He only wants to stay there for his ego. He needs to get out. He needs to do the good thing, but I don’t think he’s capable of doing a good thing,” she said.
“If the Republican Party has become nothing more than the party of Trump, I sincerely question whether this is the party for me,” she said.
