FiveThirtyEight: Republican Lisa Murkowski Votes 67% of Time for Joe Biden’s Policies

Twenty-one year incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) has voted for President Joe Biden’s radical agenda a large majority of the time over the last two years while claiming she is not a “fan” of the administration.

Murkowski has voted 67 percent of the time with Biden’s agenda, according to FiveThirtyEight. In contrast, between 2016-2020, Murkowski only voted five points more (72 percent) with former President Donald Trump, the leader of the Republican Party, than with Biden.

Murkowski’s most notable votes against Republicans and for Biden’s agenda include Trump’s impeachment, gun control, corporate coronavirus bailout, confirmation of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, federalization of local elections, the $1.5 trillion omnibus spending bill, $1.2 trillion “infrastructure” bill, confirmation of Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta, and the confirmation of Department of Homeland (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Murkowski’s voting record with Biden is notable because she is campaigning against Republican challenger Trump-endorsed Kelly Tshibaka, who is tied in the polls with the incumbent.

While seeking reelection in the conservative state of Alaska, Murkowski claimed in September that she is “not a fan of this administration” because “a lot of their policies have really hurt us.” Yet she has also admitted that she has gone along with the administration’s agenda because “they’re in office. And they’re going to be in office for the next two years.”

On Tuesday, the pro-impeachment senator vowed to enable the Democrats’ agenda in her final pitch to Alaskan voters.

“Here’s my commitment to you,” she said in the ad released Tuesday. “I will work with anyone from either party to advance Alaska’s priorities, and I will always stand up to any politician or special interest that threatens our way of life.”

Murkowski has even promised to vote for the Alaskan House Democrat candidate.

“I know that bothers some people who want me to be that rigid, partisan person, and I’m just not… I do not toe the party line just because party leaders have asked or because it may be expected,” Murkowski told Anchorage Daily News in October.

Murkowski’s voting record is highlighted by her campaign fundraising numbers. Eighty-four percent of Murkowski’s campaign contributions have come from out-of-state donors. In total, Murkowski has outspent Tshibaka by over $4.5 million, though polling shows the race is tied.
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.