On Wednesday, the Alaska Division of Elections tabulated the results of the state’s first general ranked-choice election, and winners of both statewide and local races are now much clearer. Note that all results are considered unofficial until certification, which is expected to happen by November 29th.
In statewide races, Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy (dun-LAY-vee) has won an additional term. Dunleavy received more than fifty percent of first-choice votes, so no tabulation was required in that race.
In the contest for U.S. Senate, incumbent Republican Lisa Murkowski will be headed back to Washington, D.C. While Murkowski trailed Republican challenger Kelly Tshibaka (shi-BAH-kah) in early counts, the gap narrowed as absentee votes were added to the tally, ending with Murkowski holding a narrow lead as of Wednesday. A significant number of voters who picked Democrat Pat Chesboro as their first choice marked Murkowski second, carrying her to the fifty-percent-plus-one votes required once Chesboro was eliminated.
In the final statewide race, Democrat Mary Peltola has been elected to a full term in the U.S. House. Peltola came into Wednesday with about forty-eight percent of the votes cast. Like in the special general election in August, Peltola needed second-choice votes from Republican Nick Begich. She received more than enough to win over remaining challenger Sarah Palin.
In local races, Senator Mike Shower won re-election without the need for ranked-choice tabulation, defeating fellow Republican Doug Massie.
In the House District 30 race, incumbent Kevin McCabe won re-election over fellow Republican Doyle Holmes. Democrat Joy Mindiola was the first to be eliminated in that race. Her votes were split relatively evenly between Holmes and McCabe. With McCabe’s significant lead coming into Wednesday, that relatively even split carried him to another term in Juneau.
