Murkowski says she ‘could not’ vote for Trump or Biden

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said Saturday that she “could not” vote for either former President Trump or President Biden in the 2024 election, opening the door to third-party support as the candidates appear likely to face off in a general election rematch.

Murkowski told NBC News that she “could not” vote for Trump, but added that, “I can’t vote for Biden.”

The moderate Republican endorsed Nikki Haley against Trump for the GOP presidential nomination on Friday, calling her someone with the “right values, vigor, and judgment to serve as our next president.”

But Haley faces a tough battle to challenge Trump for the GOP nomination, with Super Tuesday contests likely to put the race out of reach for the former United Nations ambassador.

Murkowski has long been a critic of Trump, being one of the few Republicans to vote to convict Trump in his 2021 impeachment. In December, she said Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric is “poisoning our country.”

Her comments Saturday doubled down on a sentiment she first made last July, when she committed to voting for Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) instead of Biden or Trump. Manchin decided against running for president after months of speculation.

Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and the No Labels effort have raised alarm among some Democrats, who have warned they could take away Trump-skeptic moderate votes like Murkowski’s. 

General election polling shows Trump leading Biden by about 4 percentage points when Kennedy is included, according to the Decision Desk HQ/The Hill polling average.