INSPIRATION – Two of the most prominent women in Alaska Republican politics – Senators Lisa Murkowski and Sarah Palin – appeared to have taken different paths early Wednesday after the election state primaries and special elections.
Ms. Murkowski, 65, snubbed by former President Donald J. Trump, has advanced to the general election in November in the race for the Senate, according to the AP news agency. Ms. Palin, 58, who is supported by Mr. Trump, also advanced in the fall for a House seat but is trailing behind her Democratic opponent.
Both races captured the sharp divisions among Republicans across the country and offered a glimpse into the uniquely independent and liberal character of Alaskan politics. They also highlight the surprising turnaround of Democrats in a credibly red country, as well as the power of Indigenous voters, a sizable constituency unlikely to disrupt any one. any party.
The support of Indigenous voters was key to the strong showing of both Ms Murkowski and Ms Palin’s main Democratic Party rival, Mary Peltola, a former Yup’ik state congressman and soon-to-be First Alaska Native in Congress if elected. More than 15 percent of Alaska’s population identifies as Native.
However, final official results in the election can take days and even weeks, as election officials in Alaska continue to collect and tally mail-in ballots.
Tuesday’s races also tested a sophisticated new voting system that allows voters to rank their preferences in a special election. The process has some Republicans worried about losing power, but is seen by its supporters as encouraging candidates to draw voters beyond their base.
In the Senate race, Murkowski was in one of the toughest battles of her political career after voting to convict Mr. Trump during his impeachment trial following the attack on Capitol Hill on Nov. January 6, 2021. Despite losing the support of Trump Republicans, she managed to forge a path to victory by forging a coalition of moderate Republicans, Democrats and independents kept her in office for three terms. She and Trump-approved Kelly Tshibaka came forward in the 19-pm Senate primary. Ms. Murkowski leads with three percentage points.
Peltola, 48, won 37.8% of the vote in the special election to fill Alaska’s only congressional seat through the end of January, putting her 5 percentage points ahead of Ms. Palin, the former governor of the state and 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate. Ms. Peltola is also leading Palin by nearly 4 percent of the vote in the primary race to fill that seat after 2023.
Winning the special election could provide a boost and big-name recognition for Ms. Peltola, who has rapidly risen to prominence since placing fourth in the June primaries. On Tuesday, Ms Peltola mingled with supporters at a brewery in Anchorage when the results came out.
“I was really overwhelmed when I saw the support I received,” she said. “I hope.”
More coverage of the 2022 Midterm Elections
The race for the House took shape shortly after the sudden death in March of Don Young, who had represented Alaskans in Congress for nearly 50 years. As she tried to push for a political comeback, Ms. Palin drew on a solid base of support among Protestant conservatives and Trump devotees. She shunned the establishment and largely ignored the press.
But an argument was mixed among Republicans about whether she’s pursuing the chair in the name of public service or celebrity. Ahead of Tuesday, she and her top Republican challenger, Nick Begich III, trade silly about their brand of conservatives and loyalty to Alaska. The infighting seemed to give Peltola an advantage as she campaigned for a bipartisan election and the divisions mended.
She and Ms. Palin have had a warm relationship since they were both young mothers-to-be when Ms. Palin was governor and Ms. Peltola was still serving in the State Legislature. At a candidate forum hosted by The Anchorage Daily News, Ms Palin even pointed to Ms Peltola when asked who would come second on the ballot. On Tuesday, Peltola said Palin texted her that morning wishing her well and reminding her to dress warmly.
But Mrs. Palin seems to have mostly avoided the others. When national reporters flew to Anchorage and her hometown of Wasilla, her campaign did not respond to requests for interviews and did not release details of any election night events.
She posted a video on Facebook of herself waving to volunteers in the early hours of Tuesday. Then, on a busy street in central Anchorage, groups of Palin supporters and other campaign volunteers roamed in a last-ditch effort to get voters to the polls.
Opposing Palin, Lisa Smith, 73, a retired educator, argued that Ms. Palin did not need to go public. “Longtime Alaskans know her, and she has a solid and thoughtful history,” she said.
The House Race focuses on Alaska’s abortion rights, economy, climate change, and mineral resource use. The man in charge is Mr. Trump, who made a rare visit to the state in July to promote Ms. Palin and Ms. Murkowski’s main challenger, Ms. Tshibaka.
Palin seems to retain strong support in her hometown of Wasilla, a small city 10,000 north of Anchorage and in other parts of the state. Many of her fervent admirers are conservative women, who hail her achievements as a politician and mother, and see her as an answer to women who have strong and powerful ideologies on the left, including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
“People want to say she’s resigned as governor, but there are reasons for that and they’re legitimate, and she’s right,” said Melinda Michener, 62, an elementary school teacher who knew Ms. Palin. He’s looking for the Alaskans. since her husband Michener became pastor at Mrs. Palin’s childhood church.
However, pollsters say Ms Palin has a tough road given her dismal overall approval ratings. The Alaska Survey Research at the end of july Find that 31 percent of registered Alaska voters view her positively and 61 percent view her negatively. In another analysis, Republican pollster Matt Larkin believes it is highly likely that Peltola or Begich will win the special election based on Palin’s low votes.
Many voters disapprove of the personality and rhetoric Palin adopted when she entered national politics in 2008 as the vice presidential candidate for John McCain. Others claim that she has spent most of her time since then in the lower 48 states, something that is particularly painful for many Alaskans, who often pride themselves on being set apart from the rest. of the United States.
Begich, 44, founder and chief executive officer of a software development company, also faces charges of being an outsider.
He was born in Alaska but grew up in Florida after his parents split. He has managed to define himself as a young and idealistic financial conservative, despite sharing a surname with the most prominent Democratic family in the state.
His real ideological opponent to state direction is Ms Peltola, who has been a strong advocate of abortion rights, has called for higher taxes on the wealthy and has sought access to abortion. development of Alaska’s resources focused on sustaining the community for the sake of business. As a Yup’ik woman, she has said “family morality” shapes her identity.
In the Senate race, Ms Tshibaka has sought to capitalize on longtime conservative frustrations with Ms Murkowski, including her vote in 2017 against repealing the Affordable Care Act and her support of Deb Haaland for the position of Interior Secretary under the Biden administration.
On Tuesday in Anchorage, hours before the polls closed, she and Murkowski waved signs and cheered as they honked cars on opposite sides of the street. “It’s a choice between the senator Joe Biden wants to have and the senator for Alaska’s values and Alaska’s interests,” Tshibaka said, as supporters behind her shouted, “Let’s vote. for Kelly.”
Ms. Murkowski insists that there is room for bipartisan ties and her independent personality. The open primary system, which, along with the November general election that will allow voters to rank their options again, is seen by many as designed to benefit middle-class candidates. more like her.
This is not the first time Ms. Murkowski has plunged into the fight for political survival. In 2010, after being defeated in the Republican primaries, she defeated a Tea Party candidate in a lengthy run for reelection as a registrar. Her campaign team at the time attached her name to a silicone wristband to help voters remember how to spell her name correctly on the ballot.
After her victory, she has a replica made of gold. “I’ve worn it on my wrist every day since 2010 to remind me that I haven’t returned to the US Senate in the traditional way,” she told reporters Friday after a meeting with voters in Washington. Talkeetna. “I have returned at Alaska’s request.”
Emily Cochrane contribution report.
