Eight of the Most Important People to Watch in 2021
From an American judge to a Peruvian soccer-star-turned-politician, here’s a shortlist of names you’ll be seeing more of this year.
● LISA MURKOWSKI
U.S. senator from Alaska
With the Senate split evenly between Republicans and Democrats, any legislation from the Biden administration will have to sway the center. Republican Murkowski, 63, has made a career there, carving out a profile as an independent-minded senator willing to deal. While most Republicans swallowed their frustration with Donald Trump, Murkowski often criticized him and should also be willing to buck party sentiment and cut deals with the Biden White House. She has less to fear from her party’s right flank than most: Beaten in her 2010 primary by a Tea Party challenger, Murkowski ran as a write-in candidate in the general election—and won. —Joshua Green