Folks, up in Alaska on Tuesday, Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski endorsed the Democrat for governor. And she didn't come alone. She brought her dad.
Her father, former Republican Gov. and Sen. Frank Murkowski, had already signed an Anchorage Daily News op-ed backing Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, the former Sitka state lawmaker everybody up there calls JKT. Frank co-wrote it with former Democratic Gov. Tony Knowles and former independent Gov. Bill Walker. So that's three ex-governors and a senator, which in Alaska is practically a quorum.
Now let me tell you how this looks from the corner booth.
The Murkowski family has been in Alaska politics since before the coffee here got its first refill. When Frank was elected governor in 2002, he appointed his own daughter to fill his old Senate seat. Most fathers give their kid a pickup truck. Frank gave his a vote on the federal budget.
And now the family is endorsing together, like a church potluck where everybody brings the same casserole and it's the other party's.
JKT is the only Democrat in a four-way race against three Republicans: business owner Bernadette Wilson, former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson and former Attorney General Treg Taylor. A September New York Times/Siena poll had JKT at about 40%, Wilson at 20%, Bronson at 15% and Taylor at 11%. Folks, Republicans are leading this race 46 to 40 and losing it. That's what happens when three fellas order separate checks for one sandwich.
Lisa said in a statement, "Our future is too important to be hamstrung by partisan divisions." Spoken like a woman whose party affiliation comes with a return policy. She endorsed Democrat Mary Peltola back in 2024, too. This year, she's endorsing Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan for reelection, which means come November, the Murkowskis will be handing out yard signs for both teams like a referee who sells jerseys.
JKT, for his part, says he'll fill his cabinet with Republicans and independents as well as Democrats. Smart. If the Murkowskis keep this up, he's going to need the room.
Not everybody joined in. Former Republican Govs. Sarah Palin and Sean Parnell haven't endorsed anybody. Which means the most restrained person in Alaska politics this week was Sarah Palin, and I'll let you sit with that over your pie.
Down at the diner, a fella named Earl, who's been plowing the same parking lot since Frank's first term, read the news, folded the paper and asked if it's still a family business if the family keeps working for the competition.
The election is Nov. 3. The Murkowskis will vote. Then they'll tell you who they voted for, and it'll be a surprise to everybody, maybe including the Murkowskis.
This article is satire. The Demorat is a parody news site; real facts are drawn from the linked sources, and jokes, invented scenes, and fictional characters are not real.
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