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The Republican Party has experienced a series of tough results in special elections. After the historic victory of Mayra Flores in Texas (34th district), votes dropped in Minnesota (1st district), and Nebraska (1st district), stumbled surprisingly in New York. They did the same in Alaska, where Mary Peltola defeated Sarah Palin.
Following the death of Representative Don Young (R), Alaska’s only congressional district would change hands for the first time since 1973. The crowded first round of voting pitted Sarah Palin, a former governor, former vice presidential nominee, and Donald Trump endorsed. Mary Peltola, a native of the state and former local congresswoman, and Nick Begich III, nephew of former Senator Mark Begich.
Because of Alaska’s new electoral system, ranked-choice voting, voters would sort, and whoever gets the fewest votes on a first ballot would be eliminated. In this case, Begich had to drop out of the race after receiving 27.8 percent of the vote, leaving Peltola and Palin in the ring with 39.6 percent and 30.9 percent, respectively.
According to this system, Begich’s votes went to whoever his voters had placed second in their order of preference. Once that count was completed, the Democrat emerged victorious with 51.47% of the vote, with Palin in second place with 48.53%.
Results of the second round of voting in Alaska
Mary Peltola (D) – 51,47 %
Sarah Palin (R) – 48, 53 %
The results were a significant surprise due to the recognition that the former governor has in her state and the fact that the seat has not been blue since 1973. In addition, it is a seat rated as “safe R” according to previous polls, which made the expressions of surprise all the more intense.
“Knowing that this is a republican state people should not expect the democrats especially in a year such as this one to even come close to winning much less actually winning. This is the biggest thing that I honestly think has happened during the entirety of this election cycle,” Ethan Kelly, a famous election analyst on YouTube, said.
“The democratic party flipping this 50-year plus red state is absolutely super significant it is exceptionally out of the ordinary,” he added.
Ranked-choice voting was the cause of Palin’s defeat in Alaska
Palin’s unexpected loss has different explanations, with some claiming she was simply an unpopular candidate. In contrast, others quickly pointed to the surprising fate of Begich’s votes once he was eliminated.
With him out of the race, there were 52,504 votes to split between Palin and Peltola. Common sense would have indicated that a large majority of them would have ended up in the column of John McCain’s former running mate, given that both are Republicans. However, the results were as follows:
Sarah Palin (R) – 50,3 %
Mary Peltola (D) – 28,8 %
No second choice – 20,9 %
Just over half of Begich’s votes went to the former governor, almost a third to the Democrat, and a high percentage did not make a second choice. So if one factor explains Palin’s defeat, it is the reluctance of Begich’s voters, another Republican, to vote for her.
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]