Jerry Moran challenges Lisa Murkowski for top GOP seat on Senate Appropriations Committee
Summary
- Susan Collins, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, lost her seat in the November 2026 midterms, leaving the panel's top Republican spot open.
- Lisa Murkowski, next in line by seniority, plans to take the top Republican spot on the committee in the Congress convening in January 2027.
- Jerry Moran says he is still pursuing the spot, and the two senators have discussed it several times without either budging.
- Senate Majority Leader John Thune is staying out of the dispute, telling the two senators they need to talk it out.
- Moran says Republican Appropriations members will weigh in first, followed by a vote of all Senate Republicans, with the Senate ratifying selections in early January 2027.
- Moran says Murkowski intends to hold both the committee's top spot and the top Republican seat on the defense subcommittee, which doles out about $1 trillion a year.
Reactions
- Murkowski's spokesperson said she will seek to replace Collins as the committee's top Republican after Collins lost her reelection bid.
- Murkowski said in a radio interview that Collins' departure puts her in a position of higher leadership on the committee.
- Murkowski said she would rather talk with members than talk through the press, calling that how members respect one another.
- Moran said he is 'still pursuing that opportunity' and was not sure how to bring the talks to a conclusion.
- Thune said he is staying out of the dispute and told Murkowski and Moran they need to talk it out.
- Moran would not say whether he would stand down if promised a choice subcommittee perch such as the defense funding panel.
Timeline newest first
On Nov 12, 2026, Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas says he is still pursuing the top Republican seat on the Senate Appropriations Committee against Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.
Sources newest first
- Moran 'pursuing' challenge to Murkowski for powerful appropriations perch
Politico's Inside Congress newsletter leads with Sen. Jerry Moran saying he is "still pursuing" the top Republican seat on the Senate Appropriations Committee against Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who is next in line by seniority, with Majority Leader John Thune staying out of the dispute. It also covers Chris Van Hollen's challenge to Chuck Schumer for Democratic leader, Jensen Huang's resignation and the Nvidia scandal drawing testimony threats, fights over other committee gavels, and a possible Iran funding showdown ahead of the Dec 11 deadline.
Murkowski plans to lead Senate Republicans on spending panelPolitico's Inside Congress newsletter reports that Senator Lisa Murkowski plans to become the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee in 2027, replacing Susan Collins, with Politico noting the perch could let the Trump antagonist scrutinize White House spending. It also covers Ron Johnson's push to delay GOP leadership elections, Barrasso's letter seeking to stay whip, the House Freedom Caucus's demands for the lame-duck session, immigrant rights groups' agenda for the Democratic Congress, the Jan. 6 plaque's basement placement, and an expected House vote on impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Background newest first
Capitol agenda: Van Hollen's challenge puts Senate Dems in tough spotPOLITICO's Inside Congress newsletter reports that Sen. Chris Van Hollen's official challenge to Chuck Schumer for Senate Democratic leader has put the caucus in a divisive fight despite its bigger-than-expected November 2026 majority, with Bernie Sanders backing Van Hollen while Schumer claims he has the votes. It also covers committee contests — Maxine Waters facing Sean Casten, Virginia Democrats backing Bobby Scott — plus Jack Smith's fight against Bill Hagerty's disbarment bid and Ted Cruz's postponed AI briefing.
Lankford positioned to be the top Republican on Senate HomelandPOLITICO's Inside Congress newsletter reports Sen. James Lankford is positioned to become the top Republican on the Senate Homeland Security Committee, where incoming Chair Maggie Hassan and the new Democratic majority promise an aggressive investigative agenda of the Trump administration; Lankford says he will push back if the majority goes beyond legitimate oversight. The newsletter also covers Sen. Rand Paul's move to the HELP Committee, the House's coming vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act II, Josh Hawley's endorsement of a data center moratorium, and White House counsel Will Scharf's threat of a criminal investigation of Democrats' oversight plans.
‘Russ Vought’s gonna meet his match’: What Murkowski’s potential promotion means for the White HousePolitico reports that Sen. Susan Collins' defeat leaves Sen. Lisa Murkowski next in line as top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee in January 2027, a role that could make her a more powerful antagonist to President Donald Trump and budget director Russ Vought, whose grant-approval efforts she has fought. Rodney Frelinghuysen says "Russ Vought's gonna meet his match," and Politico argues a centrist like Murkowski stands to gain influence after Republicans' electoral losses.
Opinion | Why 2026 was the end of the road for Susan Collinsms.now· 9d
Amy Fried's opinion column for MS NOW argues that Sen. Susan Collins' seven-point loss to Troy Jackson, ending her 30-year Senate career, came from a blue wave and the breakdown of her brand, with Jackson's transformational message on affordability outshining her focus on town projects. Fried draws a parallel to Margaret Chase Smith, Collins' mentor, who lost in 1972 after seeming out of touch on the Vietnam War.
Susan Collins fumes after voters send her packing: ‘It is never enough’rawstory.com· 9d
A Rawstory article reports Sen. Susan Collins lost her Maine seat to Democrat Troy Jackson after five terms, citing her 2018 vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh and her role advancing Trump's Medicaid-cutting bill. Collins told The New York Times that voters overlooked her breaks with Trump, including her impeachment conviction vote, saying it is never enough.
‘It Is Never Enough’: Susan Collins Couldn’t Outrun Trumpnytimes.com· 9d
Carl Hulse's New York Times article examines how Susan Collins, the Senate Appropriations chairwoman and three-decade Maine institution, lost her 2026 bid for a sixth term to Democrat Troy Jackson. It attributes her defeat to the Trump-era headwinds she could not outrun, including tariffs, the Iran war, and a perception she was not standing up to the president, and quotes her saying, "It is never enough."
2026 midterm election results live: Democrats sweep Congress. What’s next for Trump?MS NOW's live coverage reports Democrats reclaimed the House and Senate in the 2026 midterms, flipping at least 35 House seats and seven Senate seats as Trump-backed candidates lost from Texas to Michigan. Highlights include Abdul El-Sayed becoming the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate, Democrats winning statewide in Texas for the first time since 1990, Scott Colom's razor-thin Mississippi lead, and Trump blaming the Iran war for the sweep while Democrats like Jim Himes vow to cut off war funding and Hakeem Jeffries launches his speaker bid.
Susan Collins Was Doomed by Her Moderationnymag.com· 10d
Rebecca Traister's nymag.com article argues that Susan Collins's moderation doomed her, recounting how the senator who promised in 1996 to serve only two terms was soundly defeated in the 2026 midterms by Troy Jackson, a logger, union man, and former Maine senate president. Traister recalls Chellie Pingree's failed 2002 challenge — and a campaign worker's warning that "you have to beat her now, or she'll wind up there for 30 years" — alongside Deqa Dhalac's post-election texts celebrating Collins's retirement after 30 years in the Senate.
How Troy Jackson Defeated Susan Collins in Maine, Ending Her 30 Year Senate CareerThe New York Times reports how Democrat Troy Jackson, an accidental candidate who lost Maine's gubernatorial primary weeks earlier, defeated five-term Senator Susan Collins in November 2026, ending her 30-year Senate career just 101 days after entering the race. The article credits a mix of his working-class populist appeal, Graham Platner's exit amid misconduct allegations, the Biddeford shooting that sharpened immigration as a campaign issue, and Collins's inability to escape an unpopular president, despite her allies' $40 million spending advantage.
Chuck Schumer’s big moment — and John Thune’s planspunchbowl.news· 10d
Punchbowl News reports that Democrats flipped the Senate majority on 3 November 2026, putting Chuck Schumer on his way to a second stint as majority leader, and quotes him saying the American people "reduced the red brick wall to a pile of bricks." It also weighs Senate GOP leader John Thune's expected run for another term despite heavy losses, his earlier statement that a lame-duck Supreme Court confirmation is doable, and the reporters' view that Donald Trump is the wild card in the secret-ballot leadership race less than a week away.
Jackson ousts Collins in Maine Senate flipthehill.com· 10d
The Hill reports that Decision Desk HQ projects Democrat Troy Jackson, a former Maine state Senate president who became the party's nominee after Graham Platner dropped out amid sexual misconduct allegations, will oust Senator Susan Collins, flipping the Republicans' seat for the first time in nearly 50 years. Collins, first elected in 1996, had been seeking a sixth term that would have made her Maine's longest-serving senator.
Troy Jackson wins Maine Senate race over Susan Collins, in major coup for Democratsnpr.org· 10d
NPR reports that, per an Associated Press race call, Democrat Troy Jackson defeated Republican incumbent Susan Collins in Maine's 2026 Senate race, ending her nearly 30-year tenure and making him the first Democrat to represent Maine in the Senate since 1995. Jackson, a fifth-generation logger who replaced Graham Platner as nominee in August, ran a progressive populist campaign against the longest-serving Republican woman in the Senate.
Collins Falls to Jackson in Maine, Ending a Three-Decade Senate TenureA New York Times report says Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, lost her seat of three decades to Democrat Troy Jackson, handing Democrats a Senate majority and ending New England's only sitting Republican congressional tenure. The Times credits voters' resistance to President Trump and notes Collins's defeat may lessen Maine's clout in Congress.
Democrat Troy Jackson defeats Susan Collins to win Maine US Senate seat in blow to Republicanstheguardian.com· 10d
The Guardian reports that Democrat Troy Jackson, a 58-year-old lumberjack and former Maine state senate president, unseated five-term Republican senator Susan Collins in the 2026 midterms, running on progressive economic populism as fuel costs and tariffs squeezed Maine voters. The closely fought race saw Jackson paint Collins as a Trump loyalist while she touted her independence and the federal money she steered home.
Blue Supernova: 'Landslide' Doesn't Even Begin To Describe The 2026 Midtermshuffpost.com· 10d
HuffPost reports a Democratic landslide in the 2026 midterms, its largest wins since the 1974 Watergate backlash: Senate flips in Kansas, Texas and South Carolina, a sweep of Texas statewide races, the ouster of Susan Collins, and projected control of both chambers. HuffPost attributes the edge partly to Donald Trump's backing of losing loyalists like Darline Graham, Mike Collins and Ken Paxton, though Trump claims in a quoted Truth Social post that he was not on the ballot and that Republicans would otherwise have won big.
Democrat Troy Jackson unseats Susan Collins in Maine Senate raceaxios.com· 10d
Axios reports that Republican Sen. Susan Collins conceded Maine's Senate race to Democrat Troy Jackson, calling it a dramatic defeat for a nearly 30-year incumbent and a political white whale, as Democrats recaptured the Senate in the election. Jackson had spoken at a campaign event on November 2, 2026 in South Portland.
2026 Midterm Election Results: Latest UpdatesPolitico's live blog of the 2026 midterm elections reports that Democrats have won Senate control, securing their four-seat net pickup through wins in North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Kansas, Iowa and Ohio, alongside a net gain of seven House seats. Troy Jackson unseated five-term Senator Susan Collins in Maine, Republicans lost seats in Indiana and Wisconsin, and Chuck Schumer calls the result a "generational remake" while some Republicans begin blaming Donald Trump for the losses.
Maine U.S. Senate 2026: Live Midterm Election Results, Collins vs. JacksonThe New York Times's live results page for Maine's 2026 Senate race shows Democrat Troy D. Jackson leading Republican incumbent Susan Collins 50.9% to 49.0% with 58% of votes reported, and gives Jackson a 94% chance of winning a race that may require a ranked-choice second tabulation. Across the country, the page reports Democrats winning Senate control — James Talarico over Ken Paxton in Texas, Josh Turek in Iowa, Annie Andrews upsetting Darline Graham in South Carolina — and flipping six Republican-held House seats, with President Trump telling the Times he thinks his absence from the ballot was the biggest issue.
Susan Collins makes her last stand, showing off what she delivered for Mainewashingtonpost.com· 11d
A Washington Post article by Alexi Koseff follows Sen. Susan Collins touring Aroostook County, greeting supporters and showcasing what she has delivered for Maine, as the writer notes she may be bidding farewell to her three-decade tenure in Washington. Commenters criticize her support for Donald Trump and her role in overturning Roe v. Wade, with many calling for her to be voted out, citing her age and perceived alignment with Trump's agenda.
