Washington DC (Washington Insider Magazine) – Lisa Ann Murkowski is an American attorney and politician. She is serving as the senior United States senator for Alaska. Lisa has held a seat in her political party since 2002. Murkowski is the second-most senior Republican woman after the popular Susan Collins of Maine. She held the position of dean of Alaska’s Congressional delegation after Representative Don Young died.
Early life and Education
Murkowski was born in Ketchikan in the Territory of Alaska. She is the daughter of Nancy Rena (née Gore) and Frank Murkowski. Her great-grandfather was of Polish descent, and her mother is of Irish and French Canadian descent. Lisa and her family moved all around the state during her father’s job as a banker.
She earned a B.A. degree in economics from Georgetown University in 1980. This was the same year when her father was elected to the U.S. Senate. Lisa represented Alaska as the 1980 Cherry Blossom Princess and received her J.D. degree in 1985 from the Willamette University College of Law.
Murkowski started working as an attorney at the Anchorage District Court Clerk’s office from 1987 to 1989. She was an attorney in private and practiced in Anchorage. Murkowski worked at the Mayor’s Task Force for the Homeless from 1990 to 1991.
Political Career
In 1998, Murkowski was elected to the Alaska House of Representatives. In 1999 she introduced legislation that established a Joint Armed Services Committee. Lisa was reelected in 2000 and after that, her district boundaries changed. Murkowski supported abortion rights and rejected conservative economics.
Murkowski gained 56 votes and was named as House Majority Leader for the 2003–04 legislative session. Murkowski ran for the Alaska Commission on Post-Secondary Education. She was the chairwoman for both the Labor and Commerce and the Military and Veterans Affairs Committees. She resigned from the U.S. Senate, because her Father appointed Dahlstrom, as her replacement.
In December 2002, Murkowski became a member of the state House. She was appointed by her father, Governor Frank Murkowski, and filled the U.S. Senate seat when the seat was made vacant. The appointment caused a lot of controversy in Alaska. Many voters disproved nepotism and this resulted in the referendum taking away the power from the Senators. Murkowski won four full terms in the Senate. She won 48.6% of the vote in 2004, 39.5% in 2010, 44.4% in 2016, and 53.7% in 2022.
Murkowski held the position of vice chair of the Senate Republican Conference from 2009 to 2010. She also served as the chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee from 2015 to 2021. Lisa has also served as the vice chair of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee since 2021.
Murkowski is considered a moderate Republican in the Senate as she had a crucial swing vote. According to CQ Roll Call, Murkowski has been voted close to President Barack Obama’s position in 2013. Two Republicans were voting for this position and Lisa gained 70% of the time. In recent years, Lisa opposed Brett Kavanaugh and supported Ketanji Brown Jackson. Murkowski was one of seven Republican senators who had voted to convict Donald Trump of incitement of insurrection during his second impeachment trial. Following this vote, Lisa was censured by the Alaska Republican Party but won the election later on.
Personal life
Murkowski is married to Verne Martell. The couple has two sons together. Their sons’ names are Nicolas and Matthew. Murkowski is a Roman Catholic.
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Lisa Murkowski’s Net Worth
Lisa Murkowski has an estimated net worth of $1.2 Million to $2.9 Million. As a senator, Lisa Murkowski earns $174,000 yearly. Her net worth comes from other sources other than her paycheck from her political career.
Murkowski’s financial disclosure from the 2021 calendar has revealed that her yearly salary amounted to $1,190,036 and $2,877,000. Lisa’s assets in the year 2022 include $505,505 to $1,166,000. The couple holds $3,003 to $45,000 together. The remainder of the assets is solely in the name of Murkowski.
Lisa has limited stock holdings in the form of exchange-traded funds. She also has several bank accounts. Murkowski holds up around half-million dollars in Wells Fargo stock. She has paid her dividends of $5,001 to $15,000 in 2021. Most of her accounts also generate interest income, the Wells Fargo account is one of the biggest income producers for her.
The Alaskan senator and her husband also rented out her basement apartment of their Washington, D.C. residence. The property she owns has helped her to earn an estimated income between $5,001 and $15,000.