Lisa Murkowski has often stood out and stood alone. Time and again she has been one of a few Republican voices willingness to challenge Elon Musk’s unfocused efforts to re-shape the federal bureaucracy and share her well-reasoned dissenting opinions. Murkowski has shown uncommon courage in an era mostly defined by meek leaders. It takes a special kind of person to disagree publicly with someone like Musk, who spent $250 million to elect President Trump and promises to spend more to settle political scores.
Murkowski’s independence is uncommon for a Republican and is becoming increasingly uncommon for Democrats. The Democratic Party advanced a narrative during the 2024 election that President Biden was fit for service, even as evidence mounted to the contrary. The willingness of Democrats to close ranks around their party’s position reminded the nation just how rare it is for political leaders to maintain their independence and speak their minds. After the silence of 2024 it was encouraging to see ten Democrats vote to censure Rep. Al Green when he interrupted President Trump during an address to Congress and disappointing that 198 Democrats voted otherwise.
It seems highly likely these Democrats would have supported a similar resolution against a Republican who interrupted a Democratic president. Rep. Jim Himes explained his vote by citing his support for a similar resolution against Republican Rep. Joe Wilson in 2009. In the end, too few Democrats followed his sound example. Murkowski’s vote against Pete Hegseth as defense secretary and Kash Patel as FBI director, and her more recent willingness to publicly identify the intimidation felt by so many Republican members of Congress, stand her in good company with Jim Himes of the Democrats as one of too few leaders who consistently vote on their principals.
Democrats will disagree with many of Murkowski’s decisions. Her votes in support of Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. were disappointing and probably won’t age well. But those disagreements pale in comparison to the dismay many Americans feel as they watch Congress cede its power to the presidency and reimagine its role as nothing more than a facilitator of presidential prerogatives. Murkowski’s view is different. She’s been willing to disagree publicly and stand her ground. Democrats can point to the many times she votes in favor of President Trump’s policies as evidence of her unreliability but if they do, they’re missing the point. Murkowski is a conservative representing a state that trends conservative. She supports policies she believes in even if those policies happen also to be supported by President Trump. Murkowski doesn’t oppose policies simply because they originate with the president, and she doesn’t reflexively support the president’s policies either. In keeping with the best traditions of political leadership, she evaluates issues, remembers her values and votes accordingly.
Democrats and Republicans should both be concerned about the growing trend toward party conformity. When asked why he was supporting President Biden after the June 2024 presidential debate, Maryland’s Gov. Wes Moore explained, “I don’t do disloyalty.” That might sound honorable, but in fact that type of loyalty is deeply misplaced. Murkowski has never made this mistake. By withholding that type of personal loyalty from a president, she has left herself free to prioritize loyalty to the people of Alaska and the well-being of our nation.
America is navigating a difficult time. Rather than working cooperatively, our two major political parties seem intent on dehumanizing their fellow Americans and exacerbating rather than working to close our divides. Democrats may disagree with many of Murkowski’s decisions, but those who believe in the value of independent leadership should take solace knowing that she’s in the Senate. I come from a state with two senators who vote reflexively along party lines. Murkowski represents something better. Americans would encourage a healthier and more productive politics if we valued independence, courage and sincerity as much as we value positions on corporate taxes, education policy or any important issue. In an era of political submission and conformity, Murkowski sets a better example. Americans across the country owe her a sense of gratitude. We also owe a deep thanks to the people of Alaska for sending her to the Senate.
Colin Pascal (colinjpascal@outlook.com) is a retired Army lieutenant colonel and a graduate student in the School of Public Affairs at American University in Washington, D.C. He is a registered Democrat and lives in Annapolis, Maryland.
