Lisa Murkowski
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| Lisa Murkowski | |
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2002–Present |
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| Political party: | Republican |
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| Preceded by: | Frank Murkowski |
| Succeeded by: | Incumbent (2011) |
| Born: | May 22, 1957 Ketchikan, Alaska |
| Spouse: | Verne Martell |
| Religion: | Roman Catholic |
Lisa Ann Murkowski (born May 22, 1957) is an American politician. She is currently the junior United States Senator from Alaska. She is the first U.S. Senator who was born in Alaska and is also Alaska's first female senator.
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[edit] Early life and career
Murkowski was born in Ketchikan, Alaska to Polish-American parents, Nancy and Frank Murkowski. As a child, she and her family moved all over the state due to her father's job. Lisa earned a B.A. in economics from Georgetown University in 1980, and a J.D. from Willamette University College of Law in 1985.
She became a member of the Alaska Bar Association in 1987. She was an attorney in Anchorage, Alaska from 1985 to 1998. She also served, from 1990 to 1991, on the mayor's task force on the homeless.
In 1998, she was elected to the Alaska House of Representatives and had been elected the House Majority Leader for the 2003-2004 session. Murkowski sat on the Alaska Commission on Post Secondary Education and chaired both the Labor and Commerce and the Military and Veterans Affairs Committees. In 1999 she introduced legislation establishing a Joint Armed Services Committee. She resigned from the House in December 2002, when she was appointed by her father, Governor Frank Murkowski, to his own unexpired senate seat because he had been elected governor.
[edit] U.S. Senate
She was elected to a full six-year term against former Governor Tony Knowles in the 2004 election, after facing a primary challenge due to charges of nepotism. Former Alaska State Senator Mike Miller challenged Lisa Murkowski in the Republican Primary election in 2004. Miller, who was viewed by many as the more conservative candidate, was outspent more than ten to one by Murkowski, and lost the Primary election after a spirited battle. It is likely that the circumstances of her appointment reduced her margin of victory, but they were apparently insufficient to overcome the Republican majority of Alaska. Near the end of the campaign, senior senator Ted Stevens shot campaign ads for Murkowski and warned the public that if a Democrat replaced Murkowski they were likely to receive fewer federal dollars.
Murkowski is a member of The Republican Main Street Partnership and supports stem cell research. She is also a member of The Republican Majority For Choice, Republicans For Choice and The Wish List (Women in the Senate and House) a group of Pro-Choice women Republicans.
Murkowski is the chairwoman of the Subcommittee on on Water and Power and the Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs. She is a member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, The Committee on Environment and Public Works, The Committee on Indian Affairs, and the Committee on Foreign Relations
[edit] Policy & issues
Murkowski is known to be fairly moderate, and is one of ten Republican Senators who refused to commit to Bill Frist's "nuclear option" to end judicial filibusters. Even though her voting record on abortion is mixed, Murkowski is one of a number of pro-choice Senate Republicans. She supports oil exploration in ANWR, whereas some other moderate Republicans do not. She has claimed that recent technological developments have reduced the environmental risks of drilling in ANWR.
She supports health care reforms, largely because health care costs for Alaskans are up to 70% higher than costs in the continental United States. She supported H.R. 810, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act. This bill would have permitted the Secretary of Health and Human Services to support research that utilizes human embryonic stem cells. She also supports the Fetus Farming Prohibition Act of 2006, which would prohibit fetuses from being grown for research purposes.
[edit] Family
Murkowski is married to Verne Martell. She has two children, Nic and Matt. She is a Roman Catholic.
[edit] Electoral history
- 2004 Race for U.S. Senate
- Lisa Murkowski (R) (inc.), 49%
- Tony Knowles (D), 46%
[edit] External links
- Official Senate Web Site
- Official Campaign Web Site
- Lisa Murkowski on the issues
- Voting record maintained by the Washington Post
| Preceded by: Frank Murkowski |
U.S. Senator (Class 3) from Alaska 2002 – present Served alongside: Ted Stevens |
Incumbent |
| Alaska's current delegation to the United States Congress |
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| Senators: Ted Stevens (R), Lisa Murkowski (R)
Representative(s): Don Young (R) All delegations: Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming — American Samoa • District of Columbia • Guam • Puerto Rico • U.S. Virgin Islands |
