Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) Scorecard: Party Loyalty, Key Votes, and the Cost of Independence

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) has served in the U.S. Senate since December 2002, making her the longest-serving Alaska senator in modern history and the chamber's second-most senior Republican woman. Over more than two decades in office, she has cultivated a reputation as one of the Senate's most genuinely independent voices — a moderate Republican who breaks with her caucus on high-profile votes, defends Alaska's unique interests with unusual tenacity, and consistently confounds attempts to categorize her as simply conservative or liberal.

This scorecard examines Murkowski's voting record through the first 14 months of the 119th Congress (January 2025 through early March 2026), drawing on data from GovTrack, Congress.gov, Senate roll call records, and contemporaneous reporting.

The Numbers: Party Loyalty at a Glance

According to roll call tracking, Murkowski has voted in alignment with the Trump administration on approximately 85% of major Senate votes since Trump began his second term in January 2025. That figure puts her broadly in line with most Republican senators — but the 15% where she diverges is where her political profile is made.

Key Votes: Where Murkowski Broke Ranks in 2025–2026

1. Pete Hegseth Confirmation (January 24, 2025)
When the Senate voted to confirm Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense, the vote ended in a 51–50 tie, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote. Murkowski was one of just three Republicans — along with Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and then-Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) — to vote against confirmation. Senate Roll Call Vote #15, 119th Congress, 1st Session.

2. Emil Bove Judicial Confirmation (July 29, 2025)
Murkowski voted against confirming Emil Bove to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. The Senate confirmed Bove 50–49. Murkowski cited whistleblower accounts that Bove had directed DOJ attorneys to disregard the law: "When somebody who is going to be placed on the bench at the Circuit Court level basically tells other attorneys that you should disregard the law — that, to me, is disqualifying."

3. SAVE Act Opposition (February 2026)
Murkowski became the first Republican senator to publicly oppose the SAVE America Act — a Trump-backed election bill requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo ID at the polls. H.R. 22, 119th Congress passed the House on February 11. Murkowski issued a statement arguing the bill unconstitutionally federalized elections, invoking states'-rights arguments Republicans used in 2021 against Democratic election reform legislation.

The One Big Beautiful Bill: Alaska-First Logic

Murkowski's most consequential vote in the 119th Congress was her yes vote on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on July 1, 2025. The legislation passed the Senate 51–50. H.R. 1, 119th Congress. She had initially sought Alaska-specific Medicaid protections worth over $6 billion, which were ultimately ruled out of order by the Senate parliamentarian. Despite losing those provisions, Murkowski voted yes — citing protections she secured for Alaska's wind and solar energy projects.

Committee Power

Murkowski chairs two significant committees: the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. These chairmanships give her control over legislation affecting tribal nations, Alaska Native corporations, public lands, and billions in EPA and BLM appropriations — explaining much of her legislative productivity. GovTrack records 47 bills she sponsored that were enacted into law.

Ideology and Historical Context

GovTrack has consistently ranked her as the second-most liberal Republican senator, behind only Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME). Her most defining vote of recent memory remains her 2021 vote to convict Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial. The Alaska Republican Party censured her and demanded her resignation. She was reelected in 2022 with 53.7% of the vote under Alaska's ranked-choice system, defeating a Trump-endorsed challenger. Her term runs through January 2029.

The Bottom Line

By the raw numbers, Lisa Murkowski is a reliable Republican vote roughly 85% of the time. But in a Senate where the Republican majority is just 53–47, and where several key votes in the 119th Congress have passed by one or two votes, that 15% of independence carries outsized weight. Whether that calculus reflects principle, constituent interest, or political positioning — or all three — is a judgment readers can draw from the record above.