In the early days of President Donald Trump’s second term, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski had openly challenged or rebuked him at least three times. The defiance by a congressional Republican months after Trump's political comeback has stood out. But the centrist Murkowski has a history of bucking her party and Trump. She was the first GOP senator to publicly break ranks with him on the nomination of Pete Hegseth as defense secretary. She disagreed with Trump’s move to change the name of North America’s tallest peak, which is in Alaska. And she condemned his pardon of people involved in assaulting Capitol police on Jan. 6, 2021.
