GOP ‘RINO’ Senator Thinking About Switching Parties

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) admitted she has “considered” joining the Senate Democratic caucus, though she emphasized deep policy differences that keep her aligned with Republicans—for now.

In a podcast interview tied to the release of her new memoir, Far from Home: An Alaskan Senator Faces the Extreme Climate of Washington, D.C., Murkowski voiced frustration with the two-party system and mused about becoming an independent.

“I would be not being honest with you if I said I’ve never been asked … ‘Why don’t you switch?’ Or people have said, ‘You should switch,’” Murkowski said, while stressing she is not on the verge of doing so.

The Alaska senator admitted she sometimes feels out of place in the GOP but also criticized Democrats, pointing to their sharp internal divisions since former Vice President Kamala Harris lost all seven battleground states to President Donald Trump in 2024.

“As challenged as I think we may be on the Republican side, I don’t see Democrats being much better,” Murkowski told podcast host Galen Druke. “They’ve got not only their own share of problems but, quite honestly, they’ve got some policies that I just inherently disagree with.”

Murkowski’s long-running policy clashes with Democrats include their fierce opposition to energy exploration in Alaska. She championed oil and gas development and scored a major victory in 2017 with legislation opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling—a move that infuriated the left.

When asked if she might caucus with Democrats as an independent if it delivered leverage for Alaska, Murkowski called it “an interesting hypothetical.” But she stressed she would never shift parties out of political convenience, recalling how she rejected pressure to run as a Libertarian in 2010 and instead won reelection as a write-in candidate.

Ultimately, Murkowski left the door cracked open: “There may be that possibility,” she said, pointing to Alaska’s bipartisan state legislature as an example of governing pragmatism.

Still, despite flirtations with Democrats, Murkowski admitted her political outlook remains closer to the GOP—especially on energy, federal spending, and Alaska’s economic future.