The Alaska Republican Party has censured Sen. Lisa Murkowski and promised to recruit a primary opponent to run against her in next year’s election, making her the latest Republican to be rebuked over her Trump impeachment support.
The resolution approved Saturday by the Alaska Republican Party State Central Committee listed a host of reasons for the censure, starting with her vote last month to convict former President Trump at his second Senate impeachment trial.
“Senator Murkowski voted against a Senate resolution asserting that a second impeachment trial against President Trump was unconstitutional, since he was no longer President, and then voted to convict former President Trump following this second Senate impeachment trial,” said the one-page resolution.
The document signed by Alaska Republican Party Chairman Glenn Clary was provided by the party to The Washington Times.
The resolution also said the party would “recruit a Republican primary challenger to oppose and prohibit Senator Murkowski from being a candidate in any Republican primary to the extent legally permissible.”
Kris Warren, a party district chairman, said that the party was seeking a candidate “who will be more in line with the Republican philosophy.”
“The party has been upset with Sen. Murkowski for quite some time,” Mr. Warren told the Anchorage Daily News. “And we’ve actually considered a similar resolution in the past. But I think what’s happened here in the last few months is kind of the last straw. We felt that we had to make a strong statement.”
The resolution also cited her support for Rep. Deb Haaland’s nomination to serve as Interior secretary; her vote against repealing the Affordable Care Act; and her “present” vote on the confirmation of Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, but her Trump opposition was the central theme.
After the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, Ms. Murkowski declared, “I want him out,” referring to Mr. Trump, and voted to affirm that the impeachment trial was constitutional even though he had already left office.
“Senator Murkowski has repeatedly spoken critically of President Trump throughout his term in office, though many of the executive and legislative accomplishments of the Trump Administration have been supported by Senator Murkowski, and have benefitted all Alaskans,” said the party resolution.
At least a half-dozen Republican House members have been censured or otherwise rebuked by state and county parties for voting in January to impeach Mr. Trump, setting up his second impeachment trial.
He was acquitted Feb. 13 by the Senate on the single article of inciting insurrection by a vote of 57-43. A two-thirds vote was required to convict.
Ms. Murkowski was one of seven GOP senators who voted to convict the former president, but she is the only one expected to seek reelection in 2022.
The Times has reached out to Ms. Murkowski for comment.
Her pull in Alaska is strong: The daughter of former Sen. Frank Murkowski, who served 22 years in the Senate, she lost the GOP primary in 2010 but won reelection as a write-in candidate, only the second senator to do so.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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