Lisa Murkowski

Lisa Ann Murkowski mɜrˈkaʊskiː (born May 22, 1957) is the senior United States Senator from Alaska and member of the Republican Party. She has served in the Senate since 2002. Murkowski became the states senior senator on January 3, 2009, when Democrat Mark Begich, who had defeated Alaskas senior senator Ted Stevens in November 2008, took office.Murkowski is the daughter of former U.S. Senator and Governor of Alaska Frank Murkowski. Before her appointment to the Senate, she served in the Alaska House of Representatives and was eventually elected Majority Leader. She was appointed to the U.S. Senate by her father, who resigned his seat in December 2002 to become the Governor of Alaska. She completed her fathers unexpired term, which ended in January 2005.Murkowski ran for and won a full term in 2004. She ran for a second term in 2010. She lost the Republican Party nomination to Tea Party candidate Joe Miller. She then ran as a write-in candidate and defeated both Miller and Democrat Scott McAdams in the General Election, making her the first U.S. Senator to be elected by write-in vote since Strom Thurmond in 1954. Although Senator Murkowski has won three full terms to the Senate, she has never won a majority of the vote, winning pluralities each time: 48.5% in 2004, 39.5% in 2010 and 44% in 2016.

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