Alaska GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola endorse each other's re-election bids


Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) was asked on Friday whether she will vote for Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska) in the November election, putting her first on the state's new ranked-choice ballot, and Murkowski hesitated then said yes, mumbling, "I'm going to get in so much trouble," The Washington Post reports. A "reporter from a national newspaper" asked Murkowski why a Republican senator would praise a Democratic congresswoman, the Anchorage Daily News reports, and Murkowski smiled and said, "You can tell she's a D.C. reporter."
"In Alaska, I think it's still different. Mary is a friend," Murkowski said. "We have been friends for 25 years, and the fact that we're Republican and Democrat has never interfered with that friendship." Peltola, who won a special election to finish the term of late Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) and is running for a full term, reciprocated Murkowski's de facto endorsement on Monday: "I'm voting for her, so we're even-steven."
Murkowski and Peltola are from different political parties, but they are both facing candidates backed by former President Donald Trump in a state Trump won by 10 percentage points, Axios notes. Peltola, the first Alaska Native elected to Congress, is running again against former Gov. Sarah Palin (R) and Republican Nick Begich III, while both Trump and the Alaska Republican Party have endorsed Murkowski challenger Kelly Tshibaka.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Murkowski and Peltola are both "running as abortion rights moderates who are independent-minded consensus-builders focused on Alaska's needs," and polls show they are much more popular than their rivals — Young's family has endorsed Peltola and even Palin says she loves her, the Post reports.
Peltola and Murkowski also both have the enthusiastic backing of Alaska Natives, including unanimous endorsements from the Alaska Federation of Natives, the largest organization representing Alaska tribes, and other Alaska Native organizations.
Alaska Natives make up bout 15 percent of the state's population and half its rural residents, and they usually vote at lower rates than city-dwelling Alaskans. "But Mary Peltola is a total game changer, and that's good for Murkowski," Ivan Moore, a pollster with Alaska Survey Research, tells the Post.
About 58 percent of Alaska's 600,000 voters are independents, too. Republicans blame Peltola's surprise victory on the state's new ranked-choice voting system, and there's some truth in that, Politico reports. But her win — or more specifically, Palin's loss — has also "revealed something alarming for Republicans about the limitations of a MAGA personality's appeal in the post-Donald Trump presidential era — not just in Alaska, but in the Lower 48, as well."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
SCOTUS greenlights mass DOE firings
Speed Read The Supreme Court will allow the Trump administration to further shrink the Education Department
-
Cuomo announces third-party run for NYC mayor
Speed Read He will go up against progressive Democratic powerhouse Zohran Mamdani and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams
-
Secret Service 'failures' on Trump shooting
Speed Read Two new reports detail security breakdowns that led to attempts on the president's life
-
Trump set to hit Canada with 35% tariffs
Speed Read The president accused Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of failing to stop the cross-border flow of fentanyl
-
Mahmoud Khalil files $20M claim over ICE detention
Speed Read This is the 'first damages complaint' brought by an individual targeted by the Trump's administration's 'crackdown' on Gaza war protesters
-
Trump threatens Brazil with 50% tariffs
Speed Read He accused Brazil's current president of leading a 'witch hunt' against far-right former leader Jair Bolsonaro
-
AI scammer fakes Rubio messages to top officials
Speed Read The unknown individual mimicked Rubio in voice and text messages sent to multiple government officials
-
SCOTUS greenlights Trump's federal firings
speed read The Trump administration can conduct mass federal firings without Congress' permission, the Supreme Court ruled