OPINION: On Election Day, cast your vote for Alaska’s future

As a third-generation Alaskan who has lived in Ketchikan, Wrangell, Juneau, Anchorage and Fairbanks, I have an unbreakable bond and a deep love for our great state. I carry that reverence for our home everywhere I go, and put it to work every day in the U.S. Senate.

I’m extremely proud of the work we have done together and will put my record of results up against anyone’s.

As I write this, we are investing in infrastructure like never before in our state’s history, thanks to the bipartisan bill I helped write, negotiate and pass into law last year. Nearly $3 billion has been announced for Alaska in less than a year for roads, bridges, ports, airports, broadband and clean water, with much more to come over the next four years.

We have brought new production online on the North Slope and are finally on track to substantially refill the trans-Alaska oil pipeline. We are a step closer to commercializing our natural gas, in part due to the low-interest financing that I have ensured the gasline project qualifies for. And thanks to my Energy Act, we have unprecedented new options to develop our renewable energy and mineral potential.

We have overcome misguided efforts to close Eielson Air Force Base and other bases, and our military leaders once again view Alaska as the “most strategic place in the world” — stationing more advanced fighter jets like the F-35s here than anywhere, while adding to missile defense and other key systems.

We’ve secured incentive pay and pay raises for active-duty service members in Alaska. We’ve also worked hard to uphold our promises to veterans — especially through the PACT Act, which will allow those heroes to receive the healthcare they earned and deserve.

We provided unprecedented support for our Marine Highway System, the vital link between so many coastal communities. And we secured a federal waiver to allow cruise ships to bypass Canada, helping to restore and save tourism and countless small businesses.

We’ve taken steps to address the crises of public safety and mental illness, which have no quick or easy fixes. To name one of many examples, we renewed the Violence Against Women Act, and included within it a pilot program to empower tribes to partner with the State of Alaska to protect their communities.

Through the congressionally directed spending process, we are meeting local needs — like the expansion of the emergency room at the Alaska Native Medical Center, the demolition of the Polaris building to revitalize downtown Fairbanks, and to combat invasive spruce bark beetles.

We’re also shoring up our food security through microgrants, nurturing emerging industries like mariculture, and directing resources to better manage our fisheries.

We’ve taken every avenue to bring benefits home. As a result, our state unemployment rate is at an historic low. Our Permanent Fund is worth more than $70 billion. From Willow and Pikka to the Port of Nome and Coast Guard Base Kodiak, we have opportunity after opportunity on our economic horizon, promising more good jobs for Alaskans.

The biggest reason for optimism going forward is not just what we have achieved, but how we have done it.

I’m a Republican, but I’m also as independent as Alaska and I will work with anyone willing to do right by our state.

That has helped me be what Alaska needs most: a senator who delivers results, no matter who holds power in Washington, D.C. And it is why we can be confident that we will overcome our challenges in housing, inflation, the workforce, fisheries, the cost of child care and more.

If given the chance to continue serving, I will use my bipartisan relationships and seniority, including likely chairmanships of the Indian Affairs and Appropriations Committees, to build on our record of accomplishment. And I will continue to follow the examples set by the late Sen. Ted Stevens and Congressman Don Young. Ted liked to say, “To hell with politics, do what’s right for Alaska.” Those are words to live by, and I do, every day.

On Nov. 8, I ask for your support, as we continue to develop and care for the state we love.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski represents Alaska in the U.S. Senate. She is a Republican.

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