Leer en Español
Lisa Murkowski came out on top in the first round of voting in the Alaska Senate election. The senator advanced to the general election along with three other candidates, including her main competitor, Kelly Tshibaka, who boasts Donald Trump’s endorsement. The elections will take place in November and will define the next senator of “the last frontier”.
The former president has a particular interest in this race, since his intention is that, at the beginning of 2023, it will be someone else who will occupy the seat so far held by Murkowski.
“Lisa Murkowski is bad for Alaska. Murkowski has got to go! Kelly Tshibaka is the candidate who can beat Murkowski—and she will. Kelly is a fighter who stands for Alaska values and America First. She is MAGA all the way, pro-energy, strong on the Border, tough on Crime and totally supports our Military and our great Vets,” Trump said when he endorsed Tshibaka in 2021.
Alaska Senate Election Results (67% of the vote counted)
Lisa Murkowski (R) – 43,7 %
Kelly Tshibaka (R) – 40,4 %
Patricia Chesbro (D)– 6,2 %
Buzz Kelley (R) – 2,2 %
Pat Nolin (R) – 1,1 %
(The top four will advance to the November ballot).
The incumbent senator is seeking a fourth term in Washington and has the backing of many in the Republican establishment and even some moderate Democrats. For example, George W. Bush, Mitch McConnell, Susan Collins, Tim Scott, Joe Manchin (D), Kyrsten Sinema (D) and Mark Warner (D), among others, have endorsed her candidacy.
Murkowski is one of the most moderate legislators within her party and a GovTrack poll showed as much. According to their data, Murkowski, who is seeking re-election, is the second most left-leaning Republican, behind only Collins. Even Manchin and Sinema voted further to the right than the Alaskan during the 117th Congress.
How does the voting system work in Alaska?
In November 2020, the state’s voters joined Maine and approved ranked-choice voting, which allows them to vote for multiple candidates, fairly, according to their preference.
The modus operandi is as follows: the citizen wakes up, eats breakfast and heads to the polling place. Once there, he/she is given a ballot with the names of all the available candidates, along with an empty circle and columns in numerical order. The person must fill in those circles according, again, to his or her preferences among the candidates.
Maine has already implemented ranked-choice voting in the 2020 presidential election.
In the first round, all first choices are counted and, if a candidate gets 50%+ 1 vote, he or she wins outright. If this does not happen, as in this 2022 election, the count goes to a second round.
There, the candidate with the lowest number of votes is eliminated and his or her votes will be distributed according to who his or her voters placed second on their ballots. This process is repeated until only two candidates remain and one of them is declared the winner and, in this case, the next Alaska state senator.
Joaquín Núñez es licenciado en comunicación periodística por la Universidad Católica Argentina. Se especializa en el escenario internacional y en la política nacional norteamericana. Confeso hincha de Racing Club de Avellaneda. Contacto: [email protected] // Joaquín Núñez has a degree in journalistic communication from the Universidad Católica Argentina. He specializes in the international scene and national American politics. Confessed fan of Racing Club of Avellaneda. Contact: [email protected]