The GOP’s Cruel Summer - The American Spectator
American SpectatorDec 24, 2022
The Facts
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) - endorsed by former Pres. Trump - has lost the state's special congressional election to Democrat Mary Peltola, who will fill the remainder of the late Republican Don Young's House seat.
The special election, the first held under Alaska's new ranked-choice voting system, took place on Aug. 16. It took several weeks to count mail-in ballots and then apply the ranked-choice rules.
The Spin
Democratic narrative
Alaska might be a unique political animal, but this result along with others show Democrats are on the march since SCOTUS overturned Roe v. Wade. By weaponizing the Republicans' attack on abortion rights and tying Republican candidates to Trump, Democrats can continue to succeed in the midterms the way they have in special elections this summer.
Republican narrative
Without ranked-choice voting, Palin would've been a shoo-in. We can thank Republican turncoat Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who was selfishly instrumental in its adoption to assure a win in her own primary, for this outcome. If Republicans win this seat in the fall, they should move to abolish this system.
Conservative narrative
It wasn't the system that cost Republicans, it was the candidate. Palin was unpopular to start the campaign and did nothing to change voters' minds, so many left her off their ballot even when they voted for Begich. This isn't a sign Democrats are going to prevail in Alaska or anywhere in the nation this fall, it's just a lesson for Republicans to avoid nominating unpopular figures.