Murkowski to lose top GOP spot on Senate Energy Committee

Senate Republicans will strip Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) of the top Republican slot on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

GOP members of the committee met Tuesday afternoon to vote by secret ballot on who will be the new ranking member, according to a Republican members of the panel.

{mosads}They will submit their
recommendations to the entire Senate GOP conference, which will hold a
meeting 2 p.m. Wednesday. Senate Republicans also will vote at that time on who will replace Murkowski as vice chairman of the Senate GOP conference.

Murkowski is expected to keep her committee assignments.

Sen. Richard Burr (N.C.), is the highest-ranking Republican on Energy after Murkowski. He declined to comment on her fate.

Senate GOP sources say they expect the conference to appoint an acting ranking member to replace Murkowski until Election Day, when she will square off against Joe Miller, who defeated her in Alaska’s Republican primary last month, and Democrat Scott McAdams.

Two GOP lawmakers told The Hill it would be very difficult to allow Murkowski to continue serving in a leadership position while she is waging a write-in campaign against the Republican nominee for Senate in Alaska.

So far, Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) is the only senator to have submitted his name for conference vice chairman. Lawmakers could nominate other candidates. 

Murkowski’s standing in the party was one of the topics at Tuesday’s party luncheon.

Republican leaders had pressed her not to challenge Miller in the general election. After Murkowski announced her write-in candidacy on Friday, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) withdrew his support for her continued service as vice chairman of the Senate GOP conference.
 
Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), the second-ranking Senate Republican leader, on Monday expressed his frustration with Murkowski’s decision.
 
“I am bothered by anything that makes it less likely that we can elect a Republican, especially in a state where we had every hope of electing one,” Kyl said.

“Both in Delaware and in Alaska now, it’s less likely than it was just two weeks ago. And looking at how we might try to regain control of the Senate, that’s the part that bothers me,” he added.

— Ben Geman contributed to this article.

— This story was updated 2:53 p.m. and 3:33 p.m.