Murkowski beats Trump-backed opponent in Alaska's Senate race
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) speaks to supporters at an election night watch party on Nov. 8 in Anchorage. Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images
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.
- Trump had vowed to unseat Murkowski, who was one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump over the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
- Murkowski earned the support of the Senate GOP's campaign arm and the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC run by allies of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R).
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