Trump says he will campaign against Murkowski in Alaska next year



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“I will in no way endorse the failed candidate from the great state of Alaska, Lisa Murkowski,” Trump said in a statement first released by Politico. “She misrepresents her state and her country even worse. I don’t know where the others will be next year, but I know where I will be – in Alaska, campaigning against a disloyal and very bad senator.”
Saturday was not the first time Trump had threatened to campaign against Murkowski, pledging to do so in a series of critical tweets in June. But his attacks on Republican elected officials are another example of the sharp divide between the establishment wing of the party, represented by people like Murkowski and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and the Trump wing in following his presidency.
Murkowski was one of seven Republican senators to vote to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial last month and is the only one to face voters next year.

In Trump’s first public address since leaving, at the Conservative Political Action Conference late last month, he called Murkowski and other Republicans who supported impeachment “forums” and “Republicans by name. only “or” RINO “.

But earlier this week, McConnell pledged that Senate Republicans would back Murkowski regardless of Trump’s actions.

“Absolutely,” replied McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, to CNN’s question whether the Republican National Senate Committee would support Murkowski.

In his statement on Saturday, Trump highlighted Murkowski’s vote to confirm Deb Haaland, President Joe Biden’s candidate for Home Secretary.

“(Murkowski’s) vote to advance radical left-wing Democrat (sic) Deb Haaland for Home Secretary is another example of Murkowski failing to defend Alaska,” Trump said.

CNN has contacted Murkowski’s office for comment.

The moderate Republican has already survived the challenges of the right. In 2010, for example, after losing the Republican nomination (and the support of the GOP leadership), she won the general election as a written candidate. Also working in favor of the senator this cycle could be a new state ‘top four’ system, where all candidates run together in a non-partisan primary and the top four advance to the general election, where voters rank. their preferences.

CNN’s Manu Raju and Ted Barrett contributed to this report.

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