(The Center Square) – U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski has taken a slight lead over fellow Republican Kelly Tshibaka, according to the latest report from the Alaska Division of Elections.
Murkowski had trailed Tshibaka initially in the state’s first general election using ranked-choice voting. Tshibaka has the backing of former President Donald Trump.
Murkowski, a senator since 2002, has 43.3% of the first-place votes while Tshibaka has 42.7%. Democrat Pat Chesbro has 10.3%, according to the results.
Under ranked-choice voting, voters pick their top candidates regardless of party. If no one wins 50% of the first-place vote in the first round of tabulations, the last place candidate is eliminated and his or her second place votes are tabulated. This continues until a candidate has more than 50%.
The elections division plans to tabulate all of the votes and release by 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy still has more than 50% of the votes in his race but his lead has dwindled. The latest numbers show the Republican governor has 50.3% of the first-place votes. Democrat Les Gara has 24.1% of first place votes while former Gov. Bill Walker has 20.7%. Walker, a former Republican, ran as an independent.
U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola remains ahead of her challengers with 48.7% of first place votes. Republicans Sarah Palin and Nick Begich have 25.8% and 23.4% respectively.
Peltola, a Democrat, won a special election in August to replace the late Don Young, who was longest-serving Republican in Congress before his death in March.
The only good that will come out of a 10 day delayed vote resuilt that lets Murkowsky sneak by Tshibaka is that McConnell empowered Alaska establishment Republicans have figured out how to steal elections from true majority voters, every bit as underhanded as the Democrats stole the Senate in the Midterms. We have finally learned how to put on the face of the corrupt enemy like we had to in WWII to win that war, since it appears it is the only way to defeat them and take back a corrupted government, and hopefully when the war is over, we can return to our honest ways of doing things that actually reflect the will of the majority, not which divided minority that is best at stealing our votes like they steal our tax dollars.
EVERY State where they have this, sort of BULL for election rules, you can bet NO TRUE CONSERVATIVE will ever win there… Period.
Considering the ‘rank’ system of voting by ranking the candidates does this mean the outcome would be the result of third or fourth choice. That doesn’t sound like much of an endorsement if you have to go that low. It’s rigged so the loser has the best chance to win!
Hence why when i first HEARD of this ‘ranked choice voting’ ballony, I SAID IT WOULD MAKE things more confusing, AND LEAD TO MORE likely rinos or dems winning…