'Last of that tribe': GOP's centrist lawmaker opens up about 'extreme climate' in Trump's DC

In her newly released memoir Far From Home: An Alaskan Senator Faces the Extreme Climate of Washington, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) paints a striking portrait of political survival and ideological isolation, offering a candid reckoning with her party’s transformation and her own place within it.

Guardian published a review of the book Sunday, noting that as one of the Senate’s last self-described moderate Republicans, Murkowski charts a path shaped by personal conviction rather than party loyalty.

Appointed in 2002 by her father, then-Governor Frank Murkowski, she has since carved out a maverick identity, often diverging from Republican orthodoxy, the piece noted.

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Her book makes clear that she sees herself — and Maine’s Susan Collins — as remnants of a vanishing political species, rooted in principles of small government, personal freedom, and civic restraint, according to attorney Lloyd Green, who reviewed the book.

"Along with Collins, she is the last of that tribe. The geographic and ideological centers of the GOP reside in the Rust belt and the south, not in New England and Alaska," the review notes.

With her roots in Alaska and values that echo a pre-Trump Republican Party, Murkowski does not shy away from examining her strained relationship with President Donald Trump in the new book. Her resistance was visible in key moments, from defying efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act to her vote to convict Trump during his second impeachment trial. His attempts to end her political career in 2022 fell short, but they left an indelible mark.

Green further noted in her Guardian review that the book positions Murkowski as a foil to the populist tide that reshaped her party. She draws a sharp line between leadership and showmanship, casting former Alaska governor Sarah Palin as a forerunner of Trump’s media-fueled, values-light political brand. She dismisses both as unfit for high office, challenging the substance behind their spectacle, per Green.

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While Murkowski expresses continued loyalty to Republican ideals, she leaves open the possibility of working across the aisle —especially if the Senate finds itself deadlocked after the next election. That stance reinforces her reputation as an independent force within a party increasingly shaped by ideological rigidity.

Far From Home blends political memoir with personal reflection, weaving anecdotes and sharp critiques into a narrative of one senator navigating the harsh climate of modern Washington, per the reviewer. As the GOP continues its rightward drift, Murkowski's account reads as both warning and witness.

According to the reviewer, it offers a glimpse into what it means to hold the center when the center no longer holds.