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Lisa Murkowski
| Lisa Murkowski | ||
 | ||
| U.S. Senate, Alaska | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| 2003-Present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| January 3, 2017 | ||
| Years in position | 10 | |
| Party | Republican | |
| Predecessor | Frank Murkowski (R) | |
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $174,000/year | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| Last election | November 2, 2010 | |
| First elected | December 20, 2002 | |
| Next election | November 8, 2016 | |
| Campaign $ | $10,392,392 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Prior offices | ||
| Alaska State House of Representatives | ||
| 1998-2002 | ||
| Education | ||
| Bachelor's | Georgetown University, 1980 | |
| J.D. | Willamette College of Law, 1985 | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | May 22, 1957 | |
| Place of birth | Ketchikan, AK | |
| Profession | Attorney | |
| Net worth | $713,520 | |
| Religion | Catholic | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
Contents |
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Murkowski is a "centrist Republican leader".[1]
Career
Below is an abbreviated outline of Murkowski's academic, professional and political career:[2]
- 1980: Graduated from Georgetown University
- 1985: Graduated from Willamette College of Law
- 1987-1989: Anchorage District Court attorney
- 1989-1996: Private practice
- 1999-2002: Alaska House of Representatives
- 2002: Appointed to U.S. Senate
- 2002-Present: U.S. Senator from Alaska
Committee assignments
U.S. Senate
2013-2014
Murkowski serves on the following Senate committees[3]:
- Appropriations
- Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Department of Homeland
- Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
- Subcommittee on Department of Defense
- Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
- Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
- Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging
- Indian Affairs
- Energy and Natural Resources
- Subcommittee on Water and Power
- Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining
- Subcommittee on National Parks
- Subcommittee on Energy
2011-2012
- Appropriations
- Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Defense
- Subcommittee on Energy And Water Development
- Subcommittee on Homeland Security
- Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, Ranking Member
- Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
- Energy and Natural Resources, Ranking Member
- Subcommittee on Water and Power
- Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
- Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging
- Indian Affairs
Issues
Presidential preference
2012
Lisa Murkowski endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election. [4]
Earmarks
A Washington Post investigation in February 2012 revealed that 33 members of Congress helped direct more than $300 million in earmarks to public projects in close proximity to commercial and residential real estate owned by the lawmakers or their family members.[5] According to the report, Murkowski co-sponsored $6.9 million worth of earmarks for a road project that began near property she purchased from a friend and real estate developer at a reduced price. After media reports about the land deal, Murkowski sold the parcel back to the developer.[6]
Fiscal Cliff
Murkowski voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. The bill was passed in the Senate by a 89/8 vote on January 1, 2013.[7]
Drones filibuster
On March 6, 2013, Senator Rand Paul (R) led a 13-hour filibuster of President Obama's CIA Director nominee, John Brennan. Paul started the filibuster in order to highlight his concerns about the administration's drone policies. In particular, Paul said he was concerned about whether a drone could be used to kill an American citizen within the United States border, without any due process involved. Paul and other civil liberties activists have been critical that President Obama did not offer a clear response to the question. A total of 14 senators joined Paul in the filibuster -- 13 Republicans and one Democrat.[8][9][10]
According to the website Breitbart, Murkowski was one of 30 Republican senators who did not support the filibuster.[11][12]
The day after the filibuster, Attorney General Eric Holder sent a letter to Paul, responding to the filibuster. Holder wrote, "Does the president have the authority to use a weaponized drone to kill an American not engaged in combat on U.S. soil? The answer to that is no."[13]
Elections
2010
On November 2, 2010, Lisa Murkowski won re-election to the United States Senate. She defeated Joe Miller (R), Scott T. McAdams (D), Frederick Haase (L), Tim Carter (Nonaffiliated), and Ted Gianoutsos (Nonaffiliated) in the general election.[14]
| U.S. Senate, Alaska General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Write-in |  Lisa Murkowski incumbent |
39.7% | 101,091 | |
| Republican | Joe Miller | 35.6% | 90,839 | |
| Democratic | Scott T. McAdams | 23.6% | 60,045 | |
| Libertarian | Frederick Haase | 0.6% | 1,459 | |
| Nonaffiliated | Tim Carter | 0.4% | 927 | |
| Nonaffiliated | Ted Gianoutsos | 0.2% | 458 | |
| Total Votes | 254,819 | |||
Full history
To view the full congressional electoral history for Lia Murkowski, click [show] to expand the section. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Campaign donors
Comprehensive donor information for Murkowski is available dating back to 2004. Based on available campaign finance records, Murkowski raised a total of $10,392,392 during that time period. This information was last updated on March 25, 2013.[16]
| Lisa Murkowski's Campaign Contribution History | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Office | Result | Contributions | |
| 2010 | US Senate (Alaska) |  |
$4,689,683 | |
| 2004 | US Senate (Alaska) | |
$5,702,709 | |
| Grand Total Raised | $10,392,392 | |||
2010
Murkowski won re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2010. During that re-election cycle, Murkowski's campaign committee raised a total of $4,689,683 and spent $4,605,972.[17]
His top 5 contributors between 2005-2010 were:
| U.S. Senate election, Alaska, 2010 - Lisa Murkowski Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $4,689,683 |
| Total Spent | $4,605,972 |
| Total Raised by General Election Opponent | $3,357,483 |
| Total Spent by General Election Opponent | $1,487,872 |
| Top contributors to Lisa Murkowski's campaign committee | |
| Constellation Energy | $41,146 |
| Edison Chouest Offshore | $41,050 |
| Van Ness Feldman | $27,900 |
| NorPAC | $25,200 |
| ConocoPhillips | $23,850 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Electric Utilities | $387,346 |
| Lobbyists | $321,305 |
| Oil & Gas | $308,326 |
| Leadership PACs | $206,000 |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $179,972 |
Analysis
Lifetime voting record
According to the website GovTrack, Murkowski missed 141 of 3,251 roll call votes from January 2003 to March 2013. This amounts to 4.3%, which is worse than the median of 1.7% among current senators as of March 2013.[18]
Congressional staff salaries
The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Murkowski paid her congressional staff a total of $2,397,010 in 2011. She ranks 21st on the list of the lowest paid Republican Senatorial Staff Salaries and she ranks 28th overall of the lowest paid Senatorial Staff Salaries in 2011. Overall, Alaska ranks 47th in average salary for senatorial staff. The average U.S. Senate congressional staff was paid $2,529,141.70 in fiscal year 2011.[19]
Net worth
2011
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Murkowski's net worth as of 2011 was estimated between $264,040 and $1,163,000. That averages to $713,520, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican Senators in 2011 of $6,358,668. Her average net worth decreased by 57.25% from 2010.[20]
2010
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Murkowski's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $897,040 and $2,441,000. That averages to $1,669,020, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican Senators in 2010 of $7,054,258.[21]
National Journal vote ratings
- See also: National Journal vote ratings
2012
Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of congress voted in the previous year. Murkowski ranked 44th in the conservative rankings among U.S. Senators in 2012.[22]
2011
Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of congress voted in the previous year. Murkowski ranked 44th in the conservative rankings among U.S. Senators.[23]
Political positions
Percentage voting with party
The website Open Congress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus. According to the website, Murkowski votes with the Republican Party 84.3% of the time. This ranks 41st among the 47 Senate Republicans in 2011.[24]
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term Lisa + Murkowski + Alaska + Senate
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
Lisa Murkowski News Feed
- Sarah Palin Alaska Senate Whispers Met With Doubt By Lisa Murkowski - Huffington Post
- Why Lisa Murkowski Wants to Overhaul the Military-Justice System - Yahoo! News
- Senators jump onboard toxic chemical bill - The Hill (blog)
- New poll shows sharp decline in Murkowski, Begich approval ratings - Alaska Dispatch
- Lisa Murkowski On Climate Change: 'It's Real, We Need To Fight It' - Huffington Post
- Bernie Sanders Calls Out the Corporate Controlled Senate For Rejecting GMO ... - PoliticusUSA (blog)
- Mayors Against Illegal Guns Runs Ad Against Mark Pryor - Huffington Post
- Hillary Clinton Leads In Iowa 2016 Poll - Huffington Post
- Senator Murkowski Meets with Subsistence Users in Glenallen - Alaska Public Radio Network
- Elizabeth Warren Student Loans Bill Endorsed By Several Colleges, Organizations - Huffington Post
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Personal
Murkowski and her husband, Verne Martell, have two children.
External links
- Social media:
- Biographies:
- Political profiles:
- Financial:
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Legislation:
- Public statements:
- Voting record:
- Works by or about:
- Media appearances:
- Media coverage:
References
- ↑ Gov Track "Lisa Murkowski," Accessed March 3, 2012
- ↑ Biographical Director of the United States Congress "Lisa Murkowski," Accessed October 20, 2011
- ↑ Congressional Quarterly "Senate Committee List" Accessed January 22, 2013
- ↑ Seattle Post-Intelligencer, "Sen. Murkowski for Romney," December 2, 2011
- ↑ Washington Post "Congressional earmarks sometimes used to fund projects near lawmakers' properties," February 6, 2012
- ↑ Washington Post "Mapping the earmarks," February 6, 2012
- ↑ U.S. Senate "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff" Accessed January 4, 2013.
- ↑ CNN "Rand Paul says he's heard from White House after filibuster," March 7, 2013
- ↑ USA Today "Rand Paul filibuster ranks among Senate's longest," March 7, 2013
- ↑ ABC News "Rand Paul Wins Applause From GOP and Liberals," March 7, 2013
- ↑ Breitbart "AWOL: Meet The GOP Senators Who Refused to Stand With Rand," March 7, 2013
- ↑ Politico "Rand Paul filibuster blasted by Sens. John McCain, Lindsey Graham," March 7, 2013
- ↑ Washington Post "Eric Holder responds to Rand Paul with ‘no’," March 7, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010"
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2004"
- ↑ Open Secrets "Career Fundraising for Lisa Murkowski," Accessed March 25, 2013
- ↑ Open Secrets "Lisa Murkowski 2010 Election Cycle," Accessed October 22 2011
- ↑ GovTrack, "Lisa Murkowski," Accessed April 2, 2013
- ↑ LegiStorm "Lisa Murkowski"
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Murkowski, (R-Alaska), 2011"
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Murkowski, (R-Alaska), 2010"
- ↑ National Journal, "2012 Congressional Vote Ratings," February 21, 2013
- ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: Senate," February 23, 2012
- ↑ Open Congress "Voting With Party," Accessed October 19, 2011
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Frank Murkowski |
U.S. Senate - Alaska 2003-Present |
Succeeded by - |
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