Murkowski won the ranked-choice runoff after being one of just seven Republicans to vote to convict Trump at his second impeachment trial.
According to NBC News’ predictions on Wednesday, Sen. Lisa Murkowski has been re-elected in Alaska, handing outgoing President Donald Trump another defeat in what has generally been a terrible midterm year for his hand-picked candidates in close Senate races.
Murkowski, one of just seven Republicans to support Trump’s conviction during his second impeachment hearing, held her own against a challenge from Trump supporter and former Alaska Department of Administration commissioner Kelly Tshibaka.
Murkowski tweeted on Wednesday night, “I am honoured that Alaskans of all areas, backgrounds, and political affiliations have once again given me their trust to continue working with them and on their behalf in the U.S. Senate. I’m eager to continue the crucial job that lies ahead.
The structure allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference rather than limiting them to a single option. After first choices were counted, neither Murkowski nor Tshibaka, the top two vote-getters in the first round of the general election on November 8, had a majority. This prompted runoff rounds on Wednesday, during which ballots listing eliminated candidates were redistributed to the voter’s next choices.
From a nonpartisan primary in August, Murkowski, Tshibaka, Democrat Patricia Chesbro, and Republican Buzz Kelley all won the nomination. Later, Kelley withdrew and supported Tshibaka, but he was still on the ballot. The second-choice votes from those who preferred the third-placed Kelley were distributed among the remaining three candidates at the start of the runoff on Wednesday. The second-choice votes from Chesbro’s ballots helped Murkowski over the finish line after she was eliminated.
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