Mitch McConnell is standing by Lisa Murkowski

President Trump may think Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) is doomed, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) still has her back.

Last week, Murkowski broke with her party to oppose the now-confirmed Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. She said Kavanaugh was a "good man" and ultimately voted "present" in Kavanaugh's confirmation vote, but still declared her opposition to Kavanaugh because of "issues ... bigger than the nominee" on Friday.

Murkowski's dissent immediately drew conservative critics, including President Trump, who said the senator "will never recover" from her decision. "I think the people from Alaska will never forgive her for what she did," Trump said in a Washington Post interview Saturday.

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McConnell, on the other hand, said Murkowski is "certainly going to recover" in an Associated Press interview Wednesday. "She's about as strong as you can possibly be in Alaska. Nobody's going to beat her,” McConnell said, adding that he was "proud that she's in the Republican conference."

That's a big change from the many harsh words McConnell had for Democrats who opposed Kavanaugh throughout the confirmation process. But it's been a few days, Kavanaugh is on the bench, and Murkowski has another four years before she's even up for re-election. That gives McConnell plenty of time to choose if he'll back the longtime Alaska senator — or opt for her seemingly serious challenger Sarah Palin.