Just after midnight, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski was pacing in a Senate hallway, alone and looking concerned.
It had suddenly become clear to all her Republican colleagues that her vote would be their best chance of passing President Donald Trump's sweeping bill of tax and spending cuts . Had she decided whether she would support the bill? "No," Murkowski said, shaking her head and putting her hand up to signal that she didn't want to answer any questions.
Around 12 hours later, after she had convinced Senate leaders to change the bill to benefit her state and voted for the legislation, ensuring its passage , Murkowski said the last day had been "probably the most difficult and agonizing legislative 24-hour period that I have encountered."
"And you all know," she told reporters after the vote at midday Tuesday, "I've got a few battle scars underneath me."
This isn't Murkowski's first tough vote