In response to Sheryl Nelson’s letter, “So long, Murkowski,” published Jan. 20, I would like to counter Ms. Nelson’s claim that Sen. Lisa Murkowski is not really a Republican and only ran as one to win her seat.
It was more than a decade ago that the GOP abandoned Sen. Murkowski for Tea Party favorite Joe Miller during a Republican primary. Sen. Murkowski’s independent write-in campaign showed that Alaskans elect politicians based on their ideas and character, and care little about Rs and Ds in front of their names. We are predominantly a conservative state, but we are not a particularly partisan one.
As a friend of mine recently said, “in Alaska, our Republicans smoke pot and our Democrats carry guns.” As long as Murkowski delivers results to Alaskans, she could run as a member of the Fuzzy Toilet Top Party and still win.
The Republican Party needs Lisa, not the other way around.
Adam McCullough
Anchorage
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