Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, long a thorn in the side of President Trump and his America First agenda, could finally be facing the kind of primary challenge conservatives have been waiting for. According to FOX News, Gov. Mike Dunleavy is preparing to take her on in 2028.
“He’s not going to quit his term,” a top source close to Dunleavy who used to work with him in Juneau, Alaska, told Fox News Digital of the governor’s long-term plans. The next Senate race in the Last Frontier falls in 2026 for incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan.
That success, allies say, would mean replacing Murkowski, who has broken with Trump time and again, with a MAGA-aligned senator.
“Obviously there are a lot of frustrations with Sen. Murkowski,” he said, adding that the disparity in Trump’s relationship between the two Alaskans is “no secret.”
Dunleavy has been close to Trump for years, being one of the first governors to endorse him in 2016.
“Trump has talked to him before about running and wants him to run,” the source revealed.
Unlike Murkowski, who has relied heavily on crossover support from Democrats and independents, Dunleavy has built a coalition that includes conservatives and Alaska Native communities, particularly those tied to oil and gas development. One political analyst said as much:
“Conservatives would welcome an opportunity to unseat Murkowski. The fact that (Trump) and Murkowski have had such a strained relationship and Dunleavy and the president having a good relationship is really what has led us to this point.”
For the MAGA movement, Dunleavy’s run could be the long-awaited showdown to finally retire Murkowski.
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