“With the notion of marriage - an exclusive, emotional, binding 'til death do you part' tie - becoming more and more an exception to the rule given a rise in cohabitation and high rates of divorce, why should the federal government be telling adults who love one another that they cannot get married simply because they happen to be gay?”

American attorney and politician

Lisa Murkowski is an American attorney and politician serving as a United States senator from Alaska since 2002. Born in 1957, she is the first woman to represent Alaska in Congress and has become a prominent Republican voice in the Senate. She represents Alaska as its senior senator and became dean of the state’s congressional delegation after the death of Don Young. Her public record is tied to long service in federal office and to the role she has played as one of the chamber’s most senior Republican women.