U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski beat a conservative challenger in reelection. This defied former President Donald Trump’s promise that he would make her pay to vote to convict him at the second impeachment.

Based on the Wednesday tabulated ranked choices, Murkowski received 53.7%. Kelly Tshibaka (the candidate Trump endorsed) got 46.3%. After Democrat Pat Chesbro was removed, Murkowski’s total jumped. Murkowski was supported by her supporters next.

Murkowski released a statement saying, “Thanks, Alaska.” “It is an honor that Alaskans of all backgrounds, regions and parties have given me their trust to continue working with them in the U.S. Senate. I look forward to the important work ahead.

With only first-choice ballots being counted in November 8, Murkowski was already ahead. Murkowski held 43.4% of votes, compared to Tshibaka’s 46%.

Hardline Republicanism lost the election. Tshibaka is known for calling political opponents “leftists”, and “extremists.” However, she voted for Trump’s election denial and allied herself with him.

Tshibaka made a long statement Wednesday congratulating Murkowski for her win. Tshibaka also had harsh words for Washington insiders, the “disastrous Biden government”, and the new ranked-choice voting system that she called “an incumbent protection program”.

She said, “I love Alaska with all my heart because it has endless potential and because of those resilient, compassionate, and fiercely loyal people who call this home.” “I will fight for Alaska and the people of Alaska, but I will take time to think about what that might look like.”

Tshibaka also thanked Trump, God.

This election was also a referendum upon Murkowski’s moderate Republican style. She supports abortion rights and works with Democrats to pass large infrastructure bills. This is a rare style in a divided political world. Some Republicans claim she’s not even a Republican. And the times she crossed Trump further alienated the Republican base in Alaska.

Tshibaka would have almost certainly lost to Murkowski in a traditional partisan primaries. This year, however, all candidates from different parties were on the same ballot. The top four finishers advanced on the Nov. 8 ballot were Murkowski, Tshibaka and Chesbro, as well Buzz Kelley.

Kelley endorsed Tshibaka after he dropped out of the race in September. However, his name was still on ballot and he was eliminated with 2.9% of first choice votes. His supporters preferred Tshibaka to Murkowski.

Alaska voters adopted the new system in 2020. It favors moderate candidates and allows political parties to have less control. This worked in Murkowski’s favor too, as the state party censured Murkowski, and supported Tshibaka.

Murkowski also enjoyed the benefits of incumbency. Since 2002 when her father first appointed her, she has been one of Alaska’s U.S. senators. Her campaign raised $10M this election season, more than twice the amount of Tshibaka’s.

Mitch McConnell, the Senate Minority Leader, helped Murkowski. He’s a member of a political action committee that poured millions into this race, most of which was used to fund attack ads against Tshibaka.

Tshibaka, who is a Harvard-trained attorney and worked as a watchdog at various federal agencies in Washington, D.C., called McConnell’s move “an absolute violation of democracy.”

Last month, she stated to reporters that Lisa Murkowski was not the Republican choice. “McConnell is coming into Alaska with millions and billions of dollars from abroad saying that she’s not the person you want to choose, against the will the people of Alaska. This is fundamentally anti-American.

Tshibaka stated that she was raising funds for a possible legal battle over the election results. Tshibaka’s campaign didn’t publicly mention this possibility Wednesday.

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