US Midterms: Alaska's Murkowski, Peltola Win Reelection
Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola of Alaska both won reelection against their Trump-backed opponents on Wednesday, marking the latest in a series of defeats for the former president.
Facts
- Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola of Alaska both won reelection against their Trump-backed opponents on Wednesday, marking the latest in a series of defeats for the former president.
- Although neither candidate received an outright majority, they each came out on top in the state's recently introduced "ranked choice" system, which allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference. Lower-ranked candidates are eliminated through a succession of counting rounds.
- Murkowski has represented Alaska in the Senate since 2002. A centrist, she was the first Republican senator to call for Trump's resignation following the Capitol riots, and later voted to impeach him. She defeated Republican opponent Kelly Tshibaka.
- Peltola, meanwhile, beat Sarah Palin — former governor of Alaska and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee — to win a full two-year term in the US House. Peltola is the first Alaska Native to serve in Congress, and the first Alaska Democrat to win a full House term since 1970.
- Alaska is one of the last states to produce its results for the Nov. 8 midterms. Democrats have so far won 50 seats in the Senate, to Republicans’ 49. The final seat will be determined in Georgia's Dec. 6 runoff. In the House, Republicans have secured 220 seats to Democrats' 213, with just two races remaining to be called.
Sources: Reuters, Politico, and Wall Street Journal.
Narratives
- Democratic narrative, as provided by CNN. These victories — along with those against other Trump-backed candidates — show that the majority of American voters on both sides of the aisle are ready to move on from the former president and his toxic, conspiracy theory-ridden rhetoric.This is a win for democracy, freedom, and equality.
- Republican narrative, as provided by Wall Street Journal. These results reveal very little other than that ranked-choice voting is a scam that leads to mass confusion and increased voter bitterness. Alaska is a majority-Republican state, which Trump won by 10 points in 2020 — how did it end up with a Democratic representative?
