Lisa Murkowski
RepublicanU.S. Senator, AK| Age | 69 (b. 1957-05-22) |
| Gender | Female |
| In office since | 2003-01-07 (~23 yrs) |
| Race / ethnicity | White (Polish paternal descent; Irish and French Canadian maternal ancestry) |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Education | B.A. in economics, Georgetown University (1980); J.D., Willamette University College of Law (1985) |
| Prior occupation | Attorney (Anchorage District Court Clerk's office 1987-1989; private practice attorney in Anchorage 1989-1998) |
| Military service | No |
| Birthplace | Ketchikan, Alaska |
| Marital status | Married — Verne Martell |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | Anchorage, Alaska |
| Notable relatives | Father Frank Murkowski, former U.S. Senator (1981-2002) and Governor of Alaska (2002-2006); he appointed Lisa to his vacated Senate seat in 2002 |
Pending research: languages · openly lgbtq.
Career & politics
| First elected | 2002 (appointed to U.S. Senate Dec 2002; first elected to a full term 2004; first elected to Alaska House of Representatives 1998) |
| Previous offices | Member, Alaska House of Representatives (1999-2002) |
| Committees | Senate Committee on Appropriations · Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources · Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions · Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (Chair) |
| Caucuses | Senate Arctic Caucus (chair) · Senate Oceans Caucus (co-chair) · Senate Republican Conference |
| Leadership | Chair, Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (2025-present) · Vice Chair, Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (2021-2025) · Chair, Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (2015-2021) · Vice Chair, Senate Republican Conference (2009-2010) |
| Party history | Registered Republican throughout her career; no formal party switch. Has publicly expressed ambivalence about the party label (in 2021 questioned whether the GOP as 'the party of Trump' was the party for her; in 2024 said she is 'not attached to a label'). Censured by the Alaska Republican Party in 2021 over her impeachment vote; censure later lifted in 2022. |
| Ideology | Moderate Republican; described by GovTrack as one of the most liberal/moderate Republican senators; frequent swing/bipartisan vote |
| Signature legislation | Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) oil-and-gas leasing provision included in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act · Voted for the Respect for Marriage Act (2022) · One of seven Republican senators who voted to convict Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial (2021) · Arctic Policy Act and Shipping and Environmental Arctic Leadership (SEAL) Act |
Financial
Net worth: disclosed $1,170,000–$3,160,000 (2023) · estimate
| Basement apartment rental property, Washington, DC | real_estate · $500,001–$1,000,000 · 2023 |
| Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) | stock · $250,001–$500,000 · 2023 |
| National Capital Bank deposit | other · $50,001–$100,000 · 2023 |
| S&P 500 SPDR (SPY) | fund · $50,001–$100,000 · 2023 |
| Vanguard Intermediate-Term Tax-Exempt Fund Admiral (VWIUX) | fund · $50,001–$100,000 · 2023 |
Top donors: ConocoPhillips ($77,300 (recent/career, incl. ~$10K PAC and ~$50K+ individual)) · Trident Seafoods (Over $41,000 (career)) · Holland & Hart LLP ($12,000 (PAC, six contributions))
Top industries: Oil & gas · Securities & investment · Electric utilities · Leadership PACs · Lawyers/law firms
Scandals & crimes ledger
No recorded incidents. Under the adjudicated-only methodology, an entry appears only when a court or official body has formally acted and the record is cited.