Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska announced on Friday, August 7th, 2026, that she will oppose President Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, Todd Blanche. Murkowski described Blanche as “decent and capable” in a post on X but stated, “Ultimately, however, I will oppose his nomination.” This opposition follows Republican Senator Susan Collins’ earlier declaration on Tuesday that she would vote against Blanche, leaving the nominee with little margin for confirmation.

Blanche, currently serving as acting attorney general, secured support from Republican holdouts John Cornyn and Thom Tillis by pledging in writing that Trump’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund was defunct and that a related tax-immunity agreement applied only to past tax returns. Both provisions stem from a settlement of Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS.

In related political developments, Donald Trump has made a second attempt to restrict the constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship. This move comes just weeks after the US Supreme Court rejected his initial, broader effort to deny automatic citizenship to children born to undocumented immigrants and temporary foreign residents—a right protected since the ratification of the 14th Amendment in 1868.

Additionally, an Associated Press estimate notes a shift in a previously Democrat-leaning district now tilting Republican, with 71% of voters new to the area. Furthermore, 60% of independents expressed support for government-provided healthcare coverage for all Americans, a policy promoted by progressives including Michigan US Senate nominee El-Sayed as “Medicare for all.”

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