Lisa Murkowski vying to replace Bill Cassidy on Senate health panel
Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she is interested in chairing the Senate health committee (HELP) next year if Republicans keep their Senate majority in 2027, especially as Sen. Bill Cassidy is set to leave the role after losing his Louisiana primary. She acknowledged that chairmanships typically go to the most senior member,but noted others-including Sens. Rand Paul and Susan Collins, who are ahead of her-would need to make choices about whether they give up their current committee leadership.
Paul has not indicated support yet for the HELP chair. Collins would face conflicts because she chairs Appropriations and may also be uncertain about returning to the Senate given her upcoming reelection bid in Maine. Murkowski’s main potential competition is Sen. Roger Marshall, who is slightly less senior and, like her, has expressed interest. The article also contrasts their likely political approaches: Marshall is a physician and an ally of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., while Murkowski aligns more closely with Cassidy, who has been critical of Kennedy’s views, including his vaccine skepticism.
EXCLUSIVE — Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) expressed interest in running the Senate health committee chaired by Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) next year, adding to the number of Republicans vying for the post.
Cassidy’s loss in his Louisiana primary last month means that Republicans will need to choose another person to serve in his place, and Murkowski’s seniority on the committee puts her in contention for that gavel if the GOP retains its Senate majority in 2027.
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“If I am most senior, I would certainly welcome the opportunity,” Murkowski told the Washington Examiner on Wednesday.
Chairmanships are ordinarily awarded based on seniority, and two other Republicans, Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Susan Collins (R-ME), have served there longer. Both already run separate committees, however, and cannot hold two gavels at a time under conference rules.
“I am relatively senior on the committee, but there are other individuals in front of me,” Murkowski said. “As you know, it’s all a question of what they would do with their selections, and whether they keep their current committees.
“So, is it something that you think about? Yeah.”
Paul is, so far, noncommittal on whether he wants to chair the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. He leads the Senate panel that deals with homeland security and governmental affairs.
Collins, for her part, would have to give up a plum post chairing the Senate Appropriations Committee to take over for Cassidy. There’s also a question over whether she will return next year as she runs for a sixth term in Maine, a top battleground state.
For the time being, Murkowski’s interest in the HELP post pits her against Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS), who has previously expressed interest. Marshall is just below Murkowski in terms of seniority.
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The two have vastly different backgrounds and would likely take the panel in different directions politically. Marshall, a doctor by trade, is an outspoken ally of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Murkowski, meanwhile, is ideologically closer to Cassidy, who has grown increasingly critical of Kennedy and his vaccine skepticism.
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