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ANCHORAGE - Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski has been picked by fellow Republican senators as vice chairman of the Senate Republican Conference.

It's the fifth-highest GOP leadership position in the Senate.

Murkowski says in a release that she will be the only West Coast senator on the leadership team.

She says it will allow her to bring issues important to Alaska, the region and rural America to the table.

The five top Republican leaders are Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky; Sens. Jon Kyl of Arizona, minority whip; Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, conference chair; John Thune of South Dakota, policy committee chair; and Murkowski.