Lisa Murkowski, a member of the Republican party, is up for re-election this year. She is contesting the August 16 primary in Alaska for GOP’s nomination for the US Senate.

Murkowski has 18 challengers in her primary, the most prominent being Republican Kelly Tshibaka, whom former US President Donald Trump has endorsed. The Alaska Democratic Party, meanwhile, has endorsed Pat Chesbro, a retired educator.

Also Read: US primaries: All you need to know about Alaska elections

Who is Lisa Murkowski?

Lisa Murkowski, 65, was born in Alaska’s Ketchikan and raised in towns across the state, including Wrangell, Juneau, Fairbanks, and Anchorage. Her father Frank, also a Republican, also served in the US Senate and also as Alaska’s governor. Lisa Murkowski is married to Verne Martell. The couple has two children.

She attended the Monroe High School in Alaska’s Fairbanks. She then went to Georgetown University to pursue a degree in economics. She got her Juris Doctor in 1985 from Willamette College of Law.

Lisa Murkowski joined the US Senate in 2002, after her father was elected as governor. The Republican won the following election to retain her seat. She also briefly served as an Alaska State Representative.

Lisa Murkowski, being a veteran lawmaker in the US Senate, has been included in various legislative committees and sub-committees. According to her campaign website, these include the Senate Appropriations Committee and subcommittees of Commerce, Justice, Science, Defense, Energy and Water Development, Homeland Security, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs.

She is also a ranking member of the Interior-Environment Subcommittee and the Vice Chair of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.

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Murkowski has not cracked 50% of the vote in a Senate general election, and needing to build a coalition of support is nothing new to her. She won a write-in campaign in 2010 after losing that year’s Republican primary to tea party favorite Joe Miller.

Murkowski overwhelmingly won her Republican primary against little-known opponents in 2016, the year Trump was elected.