<p>Republican Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski — who broke with her party on numerous occasions to support former President Joe Biden’s nominees — became the first Republican senator to publicly oppose Pete Hegseth’s nomination to serve as Defense secretary.</p><p>Murkowski was one of several Senate Republicans rumored to be potential “no” votes against Hegseth, and she made it official with a Thursday statement making clear that she cannot support his nomination because of character concerns related to Hegseth’s past infidelity and accusations about his drinking habits, among other issues. Murkowski previously voted to back 12 Biden nominees whom most Republicans opposed in 2021, according to Alaska Public Media, and she voted with Biden about 64% of the time in 2023, according to ABC News.</p>