NEW: GOP Senator Considers Switching Parties
Published 16 minutes ago
on October 1, 2025
By Mark Steffen
One of the most vascillating members of the U.S. Senate Republican caucus confirmed she is giving serious consideration to leaving the party before the midterms.
A precarious balance of power in the Senate leaves Republicans with just a three-seat majority. On several occasions, Vice President J.D. Vance has delivered the tie-breaking vote when a handful of moderates or Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), a libertarian, have dissented.
The dynamic presents Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) with his greatest challenge yet: how to convince a member of the caucus facing her toughest reelection in years to stick it out with a party that has drifted further to the right than most of her positions in the age of President Donald Trump.
In a recent podcast interview, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) confirmed that she has “considered” enrolling as an independent, citing policy differences where she believes Democrats may have the better solution. Doing so would free her up to become an even more prized voice in a deliberative body where a single vote can mean the difference between sweeping legislation and indecision.
“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,'” she told Semafor.
The admission comes as Murkowski prepares for the release of her new book, “Far from Home: An Alaskan Senator Faces the Extreme Climate of Washington, D.C.” She let slip that the thought of registering as a Democrat is not a new one.
“Have I considered it? Yes, because I’ve been asked the question,” she answered.
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