Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call
- Mitch McConnell said it's "important" for Sen. Lisa Murkowski to win reelection.
- Trump-backed opponent Kelly Tshibaka has launched a bid to unseat Murkowski.
- "We're going to do everything we can to make sure she's successful," McConnell said.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday said that he's going to do everything in his power to help fellow GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski win reelection this November.
"It's important for Lisa to be reelected. She's one of the few, sort of moderates in the middle of the Senate," the top Republican said during an interview with Axios' Jonathan Swan.
McConnell praised Murkowski, who's served in the Senate for 20 years, as "a key player in advancing bipartisan legislation."
"We're going to do everything we can to make sure she's successful," he said.
For Murkowski to win reelection, she would have to defeat GOP opponent Kelly Tshibaka, who former President Donald Trump has endorsed.
Murkowski has received backlash from her own party after she voted to convict Trump last year in his second impeachment trial on a charge of "incitement of insurrection" over the January 6 Capitol riot. The Alaska Republican Party censured Murkowski because of her vote.
Trump has also forcefully condemned Murkowski and called her "bad for Alaska" when he announced his endorsement for Tshibaka, a former Alaska Department of Administration commissioner who's backed his 2020 election lies.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee, the Senate GOP campaign arm, has endorsed Murkowski and is standing behind incumbents running for reelection.
McConnell's and Trump's relationship fell apart after the Kentucky Republican acknowledged President Joe Biden's election win in December 2020. McConnell later criticized Trump over the Capitol riot on January 6, but voted to acquit him in his impeachment trial. Trump has since repeatedly slammed McConnell, who has largely avoided speaking about the former president since he left office.
source https://www.businessinsider.com/mcconnell-important-for-lisa-murkowski-to-win-against-trump-backed-opponent-2022-4