Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) beat Trump-backed Republican foe Kelly Tshibaka in Alaska’s Senate election, the state’s Division of Elections announced Wednesday.
Why it matters: Murkowski’s victory represents another blow for the former President’s handpicked candidates, many of whom lost their midterm races.
State of play: Election officials on Wednesday announced the results of the state’s new ranked-choice voting system.
- For races in which no candidate earns 50% of the vote, the candidates with the fewest votes are eliminated.
- When a candidate is eliminated, their votes are reallocated to voters’ second choice, per the state’s division of elections.
The big picture: Murkowski, a moderate Senate Republican, held off an intra-party challenge from Tshibaka, who earned Trump’s endorsement, and is the former commissioner of the Alaska Department of Administration.
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