Latest news with #Druke
Fox News
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Republican senator calls caucusing with Democrats an 'interesting hypothetical'
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, called the prospect of caucusing with Democrats an "interesting hypothetical," but she fell short of fully committing to doing so if the Democrats pick up three seats in the 2027 midterms. "It's an interesting hypothetical," Murkowski said on the "GD Politics" podcast with Galen Druke. "You started off with the right hook here, is if this would help Alaskans." The senator is promoting her new book, a memoir titled, "Far From Home." She was repeatedly asked if she would caucus with Democrats if the party divide in the upper chamber of Congress becomes 50-50 after the next election. "That's why this book is kind of scary, because now people know what motivates me, and it's this love for Alaska and what I can do," she said. "So, that's my primary goal. I have to figure out how I can be most effective for the people that I serve." Murkowski said the "problem" she had with Druke's hypothetical was that "as challenged as we may be on the Republican side, I don't see the Democrats being much better." She said the Democrats also have policies that she inherently disagrees with. "I can't be somebody that I'm not," Murkowski said, describing how she received pressure to run as a Libertarian after narrowly losing the GOP Senate primary in 2010. She went on to win as a write-in candidate in a historic victory, launching her Senate career. "I can't now say that I want this job so much that I'm going to pretend to be somebody that I'm not. That's not who I am." Druke, arguing that Murkowski would not have to become a Democrat to caucus with them, asked, "Is there world in which by becoming unaligned or an independent that you could help Alaskans, you'd consider it?" "There may be that possibility," she said, noting that the Alaska legislature currently features a coalition with members of both parties. "This is one of the things that I think is good and healthy for us, and this is one of the reasons people are not surprised that I don't neatly toe the line with party initiatives, because we've kind of embraced a governing style that says if you've got good ideas, and you can work with her over there, it doesn't make any difference if you're a Republican or Democrat," Murkowski said. "We can govern together for the good of the state." "If Democrats won three seats in the next election and offered you a way to pass bills that benefit Alaskans if you caucused with them, you'd consider it?" Druke pressed. Murkowski said in response that a coalition is "not foreign to Alaskans," but it is at the federal level in the U.S. Senate. "I'm evading your answer, of course, because it is so, extremely hypothetical, but you can tell that the construct that we're working with right now, I don't think is the best construct," Murkowski said, adding: "Is it something that's worthy of exploration?" Murkowski joked that Druke was trying to "make news" and said the rank-choice voting system in Alaska means candidates are more likely to get elected if they are not viewed as wholly partisan. "It is a different way of looking at addressing our problems rather than just saying it's red and it's blue," she added. Druke hammered the senator again, saying, "Was that a yes? There's some openness to it?" "There's some openness to exploring something different than the status quo," she said. Murkowski, one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict President Donald Trump during his second impeachment trial after the Jan. 6 riot, recently called the July 4 deadline that GOP leadership wants to pass Trump's "big, beautiful bill" by "arbitrary." "I don't want us to be able to say we met the date, but our policies are less than we would want," Murkowski told Axios. "Why are we afraid of a conference? Oh my gosh." Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., are hesitant about going to conference with the upcoming debt ceiling "X date" approaching and the party lines so tight. Murkowski, a critic of Trump's foreign policy, particularly on Ukraine, told the Washington Post that she was in a "lonely position" in the Senate, and sometimes feels "afraid" to speak up among Republican colleagues out of fear of retaliation. "We used to be called the world's greatest deliberative body," she told the Post in a recent interview promoting her book. "I think we're still called it, but now I wonder if it's in air quotes."
Politico
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Murkowski suggests she could become an Independent in the right circumstance - Live Updates
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, one of President Donald Trump's most vocal critics in the Senate GOP, said in a podcast on Monday that there are certain situations in which she'd consider becoming an independent and caucusing with Democrats. 'There may be that possibility,' she told Galen Druke in an interview excerpt of his GD Politics podcast, scheduled to post in full on Tuesday. Druke asked Murkowski how she'd respond if Democrats won three seats in the 2026 midterm election, 'and they say, we're gonna let you pass bills that benefit Alaskans if you caucus with us.' 'You've started off with the right hook here, is 'if this would help Alaskans,'' she told Druke. Murkowski has clashed with Trump several times since he returned to the White House, including accusing him of 'walking away from our allies' after the president's February fight with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office. And in May, she criticized the administration for revoking the temporary protected status of Afghan immigrants, calling the move 'a historic betrayal.' In March, Murkowski told reporters her Republican colleagues were 'afraid' of going against Trump and then-ally Elon Musk, and said the pair's work reducing the federal workforce through the Department of Government Efficiency was 'traumatizing people.' 'There is some openness to exploring something different than the status quo,' she told Druke. But switching parties likely isn't the answer, she said in the podcast. 'My problem with your hypothetical is that as challenged as I think we may be on the Republican side, I don't see the Democrats being much better,' Murkowski said. 'And they've got not only their share of problems, but quite honestly, they've got some policies that I just inherently disagree with.' Murkowski's office was unable to provide a comment for this post before publication.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Nate Silver Just Predicted The 2028 Democratic Nominee, And I'm Curious What You Think
Polling pundit Nate Silver predicts Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) will be the 2028 Democratic presidential nominee. 'She was going to be my first pick, and I can't conceal that now, right?' Silver told former FiveThirtyEight podcast host Galen Druke in a video posted on Silver's Substack newsletter 'Silver Bulletin' on Wednesday. 'I think there's a lot of points in her favor at this very moment,' Druke pointed out, referencing the amount of support the young congresswoman has garnered within her own party. 'In a Yale poll just out this week, AOC has the highest net favorability rating of any of the Democrats that they asked about,' Druke said. The same poll Druke referenced also shows Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and former Vice President Kamala Harris as highly favored among Democrats. Druke went on to say that the Democratic primaries will 'be a contest for attention,' which Ocasio-Cortez has largely amassed in recent months through her criticism of Elon Musk and President Donald Trump's agendas. 'The media is kind of obsessed with her, and they're going to follow her every move, which means she'll be able to keep the attention on her throughout the primary process,' he said. Silver agreed with Druke, citing several of Ocasio-Cortez's advantages over her theoretical opponents, such as her polling numbers, progressive stance, age and understanding of media. However, he did cast doubts on whether Ocasio-Cortez would want to run at all, prompting Druke to double down on the prediction. Ultimately, both agreed the New York representative would be their first pick for Democratic nominee and considered Ocasio-Cortez's experience since she first took office. 'You listen to her message today, it's all about the economy, and she's really hitting Trump on, I think, his most obvious weakness most quickly, which is the number of billionaires in his Cabinet,' Druke said. Both Silver and Druke cast their second choice for Democratic presidential nominee as Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-Pa.). This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Buzz Feed
18-04-2025
- Business
- Buzz Feed
Nate Silver Just Predicted The 2028 Democratic Nominee, And I'm Curious What You Think
Polling pundit Nate Silver predicts Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) will be the 2028 Democratic presidential nominee. 'She was going to be my first pick, and I can't conceal that now, right?' Silver told former FiveThirtyEight podcast host Galen Druke in a video posted on Silver's Substack newsletter 'Silver Bulletin' on Wednesday. 'I think there's a lot of points in her favor at this very moment,' Druke pointed out, referencing the amount of support the young congresswoman has garnered within her own party. 'In a Yale poll just out this week, AOC has the highest net favorability rating of any of the Democrats that they asked about,' Druke said. The same poll Druke referenced also shows Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and former Vice President Kamala Harris as highly favored among Democrats. Druke went on to say that the Democratic primaries will 'be a contest for attention,' which Ocasio-Cortez has largely amassed in recent months through her criticism of Elon Musk and President Donald Trump's agendas. 'The media is kind of obsessed with her, and they're going to follow her every move, which means she'll be able to keep the attention on her throughout the primary process,' he said. Silver agreed with Druke, citing several of Ocasio-Cortez's advantages over her theoretical opponents, such as her polling numbers, progressive stance, age and understanding of media. However, he did cast doubts on whether Ocasio-Cortez would want to run at all, prompting Druke to double down on the prediction. Ultimately, both agreed the New York representative would be their first pick for Democratic nominee and considered Ocasio-Cortez's experience since she first took office. 'You listen to her message today, it's all about the economy, and she's really hitting Trump on, I think, his most obvious weakness most quickly, which is the number of billionaires in his Cabinet,' Druke said. Both Silver and Druke cast their second choice for Democratic presidential nominee as Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-Pa.).
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Nate Silver Makes Shocking Prediction for Dems' 2028 Nominee
Political analyst Nate Silver predicts Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the most likely candidate to top the 2028 Democratic presidential ticket. In a video and newsletter published to his Silver Bulletin Substack Thursday, Silver, along with former FiveThirtyEight podcast host Galen Druke, both landed on AOC. 'I think there's a lot of points in her favor at this very moment,' Druke said, pointing to a recent Yale University poll that found AOC to have one of the highest favorability ratings among Democrats, second only to former Vice President Kamala Harris. 'Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has broad appeal across the Democratic Party.' 'I think equally important is the fact that she has very fervent support,' Druke continued. 'I think a lot of people are gonna run in 2028 and it's going to be a contest for attention and getting those sort of people who might be in your boat to turn out and stay with you through thick and thin.' Silver agreed with 'everything' Druke had to say, but did note that AOC isn't 'sure to run.' Druke pointed to AOC's 'Fighting Oligarchy Tour' with Sen. Bernie Sanders as an indicator that she may be looking to run for presidency in response. 'I think she's going to run,' Druke said. 'If you've been following her moves in terms of her 'Fight Oligarchy' tour, in terms of the kind of content she's putting out on social media.' Silver is a veteran election and poll analyst. Although he missed the mark and predicted Harris to win the 2024 presidential race, Silver accurately anticipated that the winning candidate would have a 'clean sweep' and win each swing state on election night.
