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Alaskan Senator Murkowski Is in Danger of Losing Reelection

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Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska is not projected to win reelection to a fifth term, a potential victory for former President Donald Trump’s political crusade against her, according to election modeling current as of Monday.

Murkowski risks losing the election to the other Republican candidate, Kelly Tshibaka, who has a 52% chance of winning, according to FiveThirtyEight, an election polling monitor. Murkowski, 65 (the original article erroneously stated she is 78 years old), has faced a steep primary challenge from Tshibaka, who is backed by Trump, after voting to impeach him in 2021 for his conduct on Jan. 6, 2021, during the storming of the U.S. Capitol.

For her impeachment vote, Murkowski was censured in 2021 by the Alaska Republican Party, which recruited Tshibaka to challenge her. However, even as Trump and some of his allies like Republican Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota endorsed Tshibaka, Murkowski’s campaign has received bipartisan support from across the political community. (Read more from “Alaskan Senator Murkowski Is in Danger of Losing Reelection” HERE)

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Alaska’s Ranked-Choice Voting Scheme Was a Plot to Save Murkowski, but It Also Doomed Palin

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Election officials called Alaska’s special election House race for Democrat Mary Peltola over 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin last week. Peltola’s victory, despite nearly 60 percent of votes cast for a Republican on all first-choice ballots, will mark the first time since 1973 that a Democrat will represent the state in the lower chamber.

Whether the August contest was Palin’s race or Republican Nick Begich’s race to lose is an open question. Whether the Republicans’ loss was a consequence of Alaska’s new ranked-choice voting system, however, is no doubt, and GOP Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski is the one to blame.

In 2010, Sen. Murkowski captured re-election through a triumphant write-in campaign after losing the Republican primary to a former federal magistrate who was backed by Palin. Murkowski comfortably won a third full term in 2016 but continued to antagonize the state’s Republican base with votes to oppose restrictions on abortion, preserve Obamacare, and convict President Donald Trump in his second impeachment. Murkowski also voted “present” in the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and she upset constituents when last year she served as the tie-breaker to move forward the nomination of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who has shut down state development projects.

In other words, Murkowski did not strive to win over Republicans in a state that went for Trump by 10 points in 2020. To save her seat, Murkowski operatives devised a plan to avoid a primary by radically transforming the state’s election system. The answer became ranked-choice voting, a ballot system to rig elections in favor of the incumbent.

Under the ranked-choice ballot system, the traditional partisan primary is replaced by an open-party contest where the top four candidates advance to the general election. Voters then “rank” their preferred candidates in the ensuing race. If none receives a majority, or more than 50 percent of the first-choice ballots cast, the votes are tabulated again and the lowest scoring candidate is eliminated. The losing candidate’s ballots then count toward their second-choice pick, and the process is repeated until a candidate reaches more than 50 percent of the vote. (Read more from “Alaska’s Ranked-Choice Voting Scheme Was a Plot to Save Murkowski, but It Also Doomed Palin” HERE)

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Democrat Votes Could Save Lisa Murkowski From Trump-Endorsed Kelly Tshibaka

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Twenty-one year incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s (R-AK) best chance of defeating Trump-endorsed candidate Kelly Tshibaka could be Democrat voters.

Similar to how Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) tried to benefit from Democrat votes in her primary election loss, pro-impeachment Murkowski’s best hope of winning reelection against Tshibaka could be the opposition party.

Preliminary primary voting numbers from August 16 indicate Democrats could have contributed up to 30 points to Murkowski’s five point edge over Tshibaka (44.6 – 39.3 percent).

The Democrat vote could be just as impactful come November. J. Miles Coleman, the associate editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics, estimated Tshibaka and Murkowski combined for about 85 percent of the open primary vote in which Democrats participated. That is because Alaska has open primaries ahead of a four-way ranked-choice general election, and thereby Democrats were permitted to vote for Murkowski in the primary — and they could select Murkowski as their second choice in the ranked-choice system in November.

In total, Democrat candidates in the August 16 primary only received about 8.5 percentage points with 90 percent reporting. But Democrat candidates usually receive between 38 and 40 percent of the general election vote in the largely conservative state, Tshibaka told Breitbart News in August. Coleman estimated the difference can add up to “a sign that Democrats may have supported Murkowski en masse.” (Read more from “Democrat Votes Could Save Lisa Murkowski From Trump-Endorsed Kelly Tshibaka” HERE)

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Ranked Voting Fiasco in Alaska: Unofficial Results Put Murkowski in First Place; Palin in Second Place to Dem

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Here are the unofficial U.S. Senate results from Alaska’s Establishment-controlled Division of Elections for the “ranked voting” primary (the top four advance to the general):

Note, Lisa Murkowski, who committed extraordinary fraud in the 2010 U.S. Senate Race, and likely in 2016 as well, is leading her GOP opponent by several thousand votes. Many pundits assert that Murkowski has an even stronger advantage in the general election where she will pick up the second-position votes from the Democratic contender and left-leaning Republican in the top four.

Here are the unofficial U.S. House results from Alaska’s corrupt Division of Elections for the “ranked voting” primary (the top four advance to the general):

Note, Sarah Palin is in second place, assuring her that she will advance in the top four to the general. However, there is concern that many of the other candidates’ supporters will not rank her as a second-choice pick putting her candidacy at risk. Restoring Liberty believes she will pick up enough of Nick Begich’s second choice votes that she stands a good chance of winning the general election.

Here are the unofficial U.S. House results to fill Rep. Young’s seat until this January (“Special General Election”):

This election is decided by ranked voting. Note, the Democrat is beating Sarah Palin in first place votes, but the loser’s (Nick Begich’s) second place votes are then awarded to the top two vote-getters. So Palin has a solid chance of pulling this off.

HOWEVER, the winner of this election will not be declared for WEEKS! Our fraud-laced Division of Elections has posted the following:

If machine voting is so darn accurate, why not immediate results? The obvious answer: more time to manipulate the votes.

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Murkowski’s Fate in the Balance

By Breitbart. . .Also on Tuesday in Alaska voters will decide which candidates will advance to the general election in November in two important races, the U.S. Senate race for the seat currently occupied by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and for the open congressional seat vacated by the passing of the late Rep. Don Young (R-AK). What’s more, a special election for the remainder of Young’s term will take place as well. The state’s former Gov. Sarah Palin is running in both races–the special election and the 2022 election–and she has the endorsement of Trump. Trump has backed Kelly Tshibaka in the race against Murkowski, where the top-four vote-getters, Murkowski and Tshibaka, are expected to be among them, as well as a Democrat and another candidate, likely a libertarian, will advance to the general election for a ranked-choice vote in November.

Polls close in Wyoming at 9:00 p.m. ET, and in most of Alaska at midnight ET. Results are expected in Wyoming tonight, and in Alaska not until at least later this week and they might even take longer, given the complexities of the new ranked-choice voting system. Follow along here for live updates as the results pour in. . .

Per Trump’s team, these are the endorsements he has on the line … :

Wyoming-AL: Hageman, Harriet
Wyoming-SOS: Gray, Chuck
Wyoming-Treasurer: Meier, Curt
Wyoming-School Superintendent: Schroeder, Brian
Alaska-AL: Palin, Sarah
Alaska-Senate: Tshibaka, Kelly

(Read more from “Alaska Begins to Determine Murkowski’s Fate” HERE)

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Polls Close in Alaska Races Featuring Sarah Palin, Lisa Murkowski

By Daily Mail. Polls closed early Wednesday morning in Alaska, as voters decided on whether to give former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin another shot at elected office.

Palin has two chances – as she’s running in both the special election to fill the remainder of late Alaska Rep. Don Young’s seat – and in the primary to take the reins come January.

Alaska voters also made selections in a Senate race that pits incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who backed former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment, against his chosen candidate Kelly Tshibaka.

Both Murkowski and Tshibaka are expected to move on to the November general election, thanks to the state’s new ranked-choice voting system.

That system means Tuesday’s election results may not be finalized for several days. (Read more from “Polls Close in Alaska Races Featuring Sarah Palin, Lisa Murkowski” HERE)

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WATCH: Staffers Claim Sen. Murkowski Secretly Supported Ranked Voting System in Alaska

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Project Veritas Action released a new video … exposing two paid staff members for Senator Lisa Murkowski’s re-election campaign in Alaska.

Here are some of the highlights from today’s video:

Josiah Nash, Murkowski Campaign Interior Coordinator: “She stayed quiet” but “she supports it, yeah.”

Nash: “Between you and me, Ballot Measure 2 [Ranked Voting System] was actually created — I think it was created for two reasons. Number one, it was created because there were people in this state who wanted to see a better system, but they also wanted Lisa [Murkowski] to get re-elected.”

Nash: “We’re being strategic with our messaging. Walking a fine line, I guess is what I’m saying, to try to get her elected.”

Emma Ashlock, Murkowski Campaign Coordinator: “While we were working on Ballot Measure 2 and voting for Ballot Measure 2, we had Senator Murkowski in mind the whole time.”

Ashlock: “I think she [Sen. Murkowski] technically stayed neutral [on Ballot Measure 2], but like, behind the scenes…”

Ashlock: “I know a lot of people who were working on Ballot Measure 2 … have worked for Senator Murkowski.”

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‘I LIKE TO WIN’: Tim Scott Defends Backing Murkowski Instead of Trump-Backed GOP Candidate

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Sen. Tim Scott Thursday defended his endorsement of Sen. Lisa Murkowski for re-election, amid blowback from some Republicans who support her Trump-endorsed opponent, Kelly Tshibaka.

“The road to socialism runs right through a divided Republican Party,” Scott, R-S.C., said. “I like winning and frankly the best shot at us keeping that seat is without doubt Lisa Murkowski.”

Scott said that among the reasons he thinks Murkowski, R-Alaska, gives Republicans the best chance to hold on to her seat in a key election year is that “the power of incumbency is undeniable.” He added that “she works really hard.”

The senator’s endorsement puts him at odds with former President Donald Trump in the key Senate race — a move that angered some on the right.

But Scott is far from the only Republican to be on the opposite side of a Senate race from Trump this cycle. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas; former Vice President Mike Pence; Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y.; Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.; Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.; and others have endorsed 2022 GOP primary candidates in races where Trump endorsed their competitor. (Read more from “Tim Scott Defends Backing Murkowski Instead of Trump-Backed GOP Candidate” HERE)

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Murkowski Ally Hits Alaska GOP Senate Rival for Fishing Violations

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Alaska Senate candidate Kelly Tshibaka may be reeling from past commercial fishing violations, which her incumbent opponent Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AL) is highlighting in a new attack ad.

A new commercial paid for by the Alaska for Lisa super PAC shows two Alaskan fishermen blasting Tshibaka for her violations of state fishing laws, accusing her of thinking herself above the law. The Alaska Department of Public Safety fined Tshibaka $270 in October for commercial fishing without a commercial fishing license, and she previously ran into trouble in 2019 when she got a sport fishing license limited to people who have lived in the state for more than a year, which at the time she had not.

“Kelly Tshibaka illegally claimed to qualify for a resident fishing license, but she got caught,” the two fishermen said in the ad. “She was also cited for commercial fishing illegally. We take our commercial fishing logs very seriously. She said she didn’t understand the rules, but she’s a Harvard lawyer. Tshibaka understands the rules. She just doesn’t think they apply to her. Tshibaka is wrong for Alaska.”

Tshibaka, a former state Cabinet official, didn’t face fines for the 2019 incident. She is a darling of former President Donald Trump, who is hoping to unseat Murkowski after she voted to impeach him in 2021. Staunch Republicans have accused Murkowski of being a “Republican in name only,” or RINO, for her centrist positions. (Read more from “Murkowski Ally Hits Alaska GOP Senate Rival for Fishing Violations” HERE)

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Cheney Pulls a Murkowski: Asks Democrats to Vote for Her to Save Her Seat

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As Rep. Liz Cheney faces a tough reelection battle in Wyoming, she’s turning to Democrats in her home state to help her chances in the August 16 Republican primary.

Cheney’s campaign has mailed instructions to Wyoming Democrats on how to change their party affiliation to vote for the incumbent congresswoman, The New York Times reported on Thursday. Under Wyoming law, voters must be registered as a Democrat or a Republican in order to vote in that party’s primary election.

The instructions, also listed on Cheney’s campaign website, direct voters to fill out a registration form and submit it to their county clerk’s office at least two weeks before the primary. Voters may also change their party affiliation at the polls on primary day or when they request an absentee ballot.

“Liz is proud to represent all Wyomingites and is working hard to earn every vote,” Jeremy Adler, a campaign spokesperson, told Insider in a statement on Thursday.

This call comes as some Democrats in the red state have expressed support for Cheney’s defiance of former President Donald Trump and plan to vote for her reelection. Though Republicans are a majority in the state, it’s not unusual for candidates to reach out to Democrats during campaign season to boost their election bids. Studies on voter data in the state have shown that party-switch voters have not made a difference in past elections. (Read more from “Cheney Pulls a Murkowski: Asks Democrats to Vote for Her to Save Her Seat” HERE)

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What Has Murkowski’s Vote for Deb Haaland Done for Alaska?

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Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski was one of four Republican senators to cross party lines last year to vote for President Joe Biden’s activist pick to lead the Department of the Interior, New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland. More than 13 months after Haaland’s confirmation, Alaskans are paying the price for Murkowski’s approval. . .

Upon completing her first trip to Alaska, Secretary Haaland left with a “parting gift” of more Washington restrictions, declaring that millions more acres that were once open to oil and gas exploration would be locked under environmental regulation.

On Monday, the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management, which is now run by an ecoterrorist, announced it would reverse Trump-era efforts to expand oil and gas operations in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve, shutting off 7 million acres from development despite today’s urgent need to drill. . .

At this point, however, the announcement should come as no surprise. In October, the Biden administration decided to let stand a judge’s ruling to strip permits for the Willow Project in the same reserve. Approved under President Donald Trump in 2020, the 30-year plan from ConocoPhillips to develop five drilling sites would have been the largest single extraction project on federal land. . .

Murkowski has long lobbied for a “complete exemption” from the Roadless Rule for the Tongass National Forest, but Haaland has come out on top in this fight too. (Read more from “What Has Murkowski’s Vote for Deb Haaland Done for Alaska?” HERE)

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McConnell’s Leadership PAC Announces a $7M Ad Buy to Back Murkowski Against Trump-Backed Rival

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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s leadership PAC announced a $7 million ad buy Monday on behalf of Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who is fending off a primary challenge from the Trump-backed Kelly Tshibaka.

So far, that’s the only Republican primary McConnell’s Senate Leadership Fund is getting involved in – with most of the cash being directed to six general election battles starting in September.

‘We don’t seek out opportunities to be involved in primaries,’ Senate Leadership Fund President Steven Law told Politico.

McConnell, however, has made it clear he’s behind Murkowski – who’s held her Alaska Senate seat for 20 years.

The investment is similar to how much she spent on her 2016 re-election campaign, CNN pointed out. (Read more from “McConnell’s Leadership PAC Announces a $7M Ad Buy to Back Murkowski Against Trump-Backed Rival” HERE)

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