The Point: Donald Trump still runs the GOP, part 8,721

Posted by :

July 12, 2021 | by Chris Cillizza and Lauren Dezenski

Donald Trump still runs the GOP, part 8,721

Over the weekend, the Alaska Republican Party turned its back on Sen. Lisa Murkowski.

The Alaska Republican State Central Committee voted overwhelmingly -- 58-17 -- to throw its support behind former Alaska Department of Administration commissioner Kelly Tshibaka, who is the most high-profile challenger to Murkowski as she seeks a fifth term in 2022.

Why would the top Republicans in Alaska abandon Murkowski, who has been the state's senator since 2002, in droves? Two words: Donald Trump.

The former President has made Murkowski enemy No. 1 because she, uh, voted to convict him for inciting the January 6 riot at the US Capitol. (Six other Republicans joined Murkowski in that vote; she is the only one running for reelection in November 2022.)

While Trump had long made clear his unhappiness with Murkowski, he took it to another level in endorsing Tshibaka.

"Lisa Murkowski is bad for Alaska," Trump said in a statement released from his Save America PAC. "Murkowski has got to go! Kelly Tshibaka is the candidate who can beat Murkowski—and she will. Kelly is a fighter who stands for Alaska values and America First. She is MAGA all the way, pro-energy, strong on the Border, tough on Crime and totally supports our Military and our great Vets."

And since what Trump says goes -- particularly at the state party level -- what happened over the weekend in Alaska was utterly predictable.

Trump said Murkowski wasn't appropriately loyal to him (she voted with him more than 70% of the time, according to 538, but whatever), so it must be true.

Trump endorsed Tshibaka. So the Alaska GOP had to do the same. Because, well, Trump.

Losing the endorsement of the state central committee doesn't prove Tshibaka will beat Murkowski for a lot of reasons -- the most important being that there will be an all-party primary in 2022, with ranked-choice voting used to determine the winner. And don't forget that in 2010, Murkowski was beaten in a Republican primary by a tea party-backed challenger. She managed to win reelection by running a write-in campaign during the general election.

What it does prove is that the GOP is still entirely under Trump's control.

The Point: Donald Trump rules by fear. And Alaska Republicans are running scared.

-- Chris

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"I don't think we've seen anything like this protest in a long, long time, quite frankly, ever."

-- President Joe Biden on the "remarkable protests taking place in Cuba" right now, adding the US "stands with the people of Cuba."

EDWARDS' MEMORABLE LINES

Louisiana's larger-than-life former Gov. Edwin Edwards has died at the age of 93. He leaves behind a checkered history as the state's longest-serving governor, who also served eight years in prison for charges including racketeering. He could also give one heck of a quote.

Here are some of his most memorable lines:

In his second bid for governor, in 1983, Edwards felt very confident about his chances at winning: "The only way I can lose this election is if I'm caught in bed with either a dead girl -- or a live boy." (Spoiler alert: He won.)
During a runoff election against Ku Klux Klansman David Duke for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 1992: "The only thing we have in common is we're both wizards under the sheets." (Edwards won this election too.)
On his time in prison -- he met his future wife when they corresponded as pen pals while he served his sentence: "They sent me to prison for life and I came out with a good-looking wife."
He unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 2014, at 87 years old. As he told CNN at the time: "People say, well, they're all crooks anyhow. You might as well send an experienced one."

CHRIS' GOOD READS

This Washington Post story says that young conservatives are advocating to take climate change seriously -- a development that could upend the partisan lens the issue has long been seen through.

I loved this conversation between Bret Stephens and Gail Collins -- both of The New York Times -- about underrated presidents.

What can make bipartisanship break out in Washington? This Politico piece argues its Britney Spears' conservatorship.

Put a ring on it? According to CNN, people ARE! Engagement ring buying is way up, the latest sign of a return to (mostly) normal in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

I never should have opened my old video games.

MUSICAL INTERLUDE

John Prine died in the spring of 2020 from Covid-19. I still feel his loss daily -- and listen to his music almost as often. This cover of Prine's "Clay Pigeons" by Shannon Lay and Steve Gunn is slower (and sadder) than the original -- as they recorded it soon after his death. (And, while we're at it, go listen to Brandi Carlile's cover of Prine's "I Remember Everything.")

-- Chris

TOP TWEETS

1. 99.2%!!!!

2. Nancy Pelosi's answer on crime is, um, tough to decipher

3. A useful 🧵when considering sending your kids back to school this fall

4. Carl Sagan nailed it

5. Bear Cam! Live!

6. The internet is undefeated

ONE BIG EXIT

🛫

In an effort to block Republican voting legislation, Texas Democrats left the state to prevent the legislature from achieving a quorum, thereby halting a vote. The majority of the Democrats fleeing Texas are flying to Washington, DC, on two chartered jets. This isn't the first time state legislators have fled their state to block a bill: Wisconsin Senate Democrats left the state in 2011 over a bill that would have limited bargaining rights for some unions.

You are receiving this message because you subscribed to CNN's The Point with Chris Cillizza newsletter.

Unsubscribe from this list

Check out other CNN Newsletters

Create your CNN Account

Share the Point Newsletter

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get The Point in your inbox.

Send your tips and thoughts via email to Chris Cillizza and Lauren Dezenski. You can follow Chris and Lauren on Twitter and connect with The Point on: