Senator/Princess Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), to give the devil her due, has great political survival skills. She was handed her Senate seat like a feudal title by her father, Governor Frank Murkowski, who held that Senate seat before being elected governor. She was challenged several times under the old closed-primary system, most notably in 2010, when primary challenger Joe Miller knocked her off the ticket. Still, Princess Lisa marshaled her coalition of Anchorage and Juneau Democrats and soft Republicans and managed to pull out a victory as a write-in candidate.
Add to that the Great Land's ill-advised experiment with ranked-choice voting (RCV) that was tailor-made to keep Princess Lisa in office - and which should be up for repeal again in 2026.
But Senator Murkowski may be facing a rather different challenger in 2028, the next time she faces re-election. Alaska's effective and popular governor, Mike Dunleavy, is term-limited in 2026 - and is said to be considering a run for the Senate in 2028.
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy is primed to announce a 2028 run for U.S. Senate against Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the Republican legislator who repeatedly has clashed with President Donald Trump, according to several sources familiar with the situation or close to the governor.
"He’s not going to quit his term," a top source close to Dunleavy who used to work with him in Juneau, Alaska, told Fox News Digital of the governor’s long-term plans. The next Senate race in the Last Frontier falls in 2026 for incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan.
The last governor to resign to run for higher office — 2008 vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin — "never recovered," the source said.
According to the source cited in the linked article, Governor Dunleavy would appear to have the support of President Trump.
"He's not about an ego and pushing himself in front of the cameras. He gets stuff done. … He's not like, ‘Please put me on this committee’ or ‘I have to attend this ball’. He doesn't like those types of things," the source added.
"Trump has talked to him before about running and wants him to run."
Pollsters are thin on the ground in Alaska, but Princess Lisa's recent polling doesn't bode well. Recently, she was said to be considering a run for Governor herself in 2026, but Must Read Alaska's Suzanne Downing reported at that time that the Senator's support was tanking among some key constituents over her yes vote on the Big, Beautiful Bill - which tells you a lot about her coalition. Princess Lisa's approval among moderates in particular is cratering, with a 26-point plunge from April to August - and among Alaska's progressives (yes, we have them) even more so, dropping 75 points from +54 to -21.
Conservative Alaskans haven't changed their opinions of Princess Lisa very much, still disapproving of her by a 64-point margin.
Read More: Murkowski's Poll Numbers Crash As She Considers Run for AK Governor
Is She Joking? Lisa Murkowski Describes a Meeting With President Trump Before Putin AK Summit.
We should note that Alaska's other senator, Dan Sullivan, in 2020 won re-election by a comfortable margin, nearly 5 points - not overwhelming, but comfortable. The 2026 election, which will see Senator Dan Sullivan facing an as-yet unknown challenger(s), is listed as "Solid R" by Inside Elections, The Cook Political Report, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and as "Lean R" by Race To The WH. There are as yet no ratings in place for the 2028 election.
The Baby Ruth bar in the swimming pool here is ranked-choice voting. If we can get it repealed in 2026 and return to the old closed-primary system, Governor Dunleavy stands a much better chance of mounting a primary challenge and taking Princess Lisa off the ticket. But RCV seems designed to help candidates like Princess Lisa. A repeal was on the 2024 ballot, and failed by less than a thousand votes after being outspent by Outside money almost ten to one. Watch for another repeal vote in 2026.
Editor’s Note: Help us continue to report the truth about the GOP's squishes and RINOs like Princess Lisa Murkowski.
Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member