Murkowski will oppose Blanche, threatening his confirmation

Source: www.axios.com · Section: politics · Bias: Center-Left · Published: Fri, 07 Aug 2026 11:06:45 GMT

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) will vote against Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general, becoming the second known Republican to oppose him.Why it matters: Murkowski's opposition puts Blanche's confirmation in jeopardy.With Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) still absent from the Senate, Blanche cannot afford to lose any more GOP support.Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) has already announced her opposition, and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) has yet to announce his position.What they are saying: "The country needs an Attorney General who will check the worst impulses of this administration," Murkowski said Friday in a 6 a.m. post on X. "I hope Mr. Blanche is able to achieve that, if confirmed, but I simply do not have confidence that will be the case."Zoom in: Majority Leader John Thune has not yet scheduled a final confirmation vote before the Senate is set to leave for its August recess."We intend to vote on him before we leave, and I am hopeful and optimistic that we will get him confirmed," Thune said on Fox News Thursday.Earlier this week, Blanche appeared to be on track after the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced his nomination.Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) dropped their opposition after reaching a written agreement with Blanche that President Trump's proposed $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund would be terminated.Friction point: But Collins' announcement threw the nomination's fate into doubt.Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who has occasionally supported some of President Trump's nominees, has said he will vote against Blanche.Blanche met with Murkowski and Cassidy on Wednesday night, but neither senator indicated at the time how they would vote.The intrigue: McConnell's office said Thursday that he was discharged for the hospital but did not give a date on when he would return to the Senate.McConnell has not publicly said how he would vote on Blanche.Editor's note: This story has been updated with new details throughout.

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