Had she accepted defeat gracefully, Ms. Murkowski would probably find she could run for Governor in the future. Yet now she is burning her bridges to nowhere after being stripped of her Senate committee assignments by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Her incumbency and earmark themes failed to sway primary voters, and they betray a failure to grasp the country’s anti-Washington mood. Voters want a check on the Obama agenda, not someone looking to trade votes for pork.
Joe Lieberman ran as an independent after losing the Connecticut primary in 2006, though he had every reason to believe he could win against antiwar Greenwich millionaire Ned Lamont. He also ran on U.S. national security interests and moral principle regarding a precipitous withdrawal from Iraq. The only thing at stake in Lisa Murkowski’s revenge bid is her own political career.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member