The latest ads paid for by $12.7 million in dark-money opposing Ballot Measure 2 star the very person the entire ranked-choice voting scheme was designed to re-elect: Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski.
Murkowski is asking voters to vote “no” on Ballot Measure 2, and keep the new system of voting, which voters barely approved in 2020.
The Alaska Republican Party says to vote “yes” and repeal the scheming system. Former Lt. Governors Craig Campbell and Loren Leman have said to vote “yes” in columns at Must Read Alaska.
Murkowski had been censured by the Alaska Republican Party for her behavior in the past, particularly her impeachment vote to convict President Donald Trump — after he left office. Without Republican support, her liberal followers, led by attorney Scott Kendall, put together a scheme whereby she would not have to run in a Republican primary, which she would not be able to win. With dark money from Outside the state, they painted a rosy picture for voters and concealed their main intent — turning Alaska blue.
Voters approved of the scheme, which combines no-party primaries and ranked-choice general elections.
Then, in 2022, the Alaska Democratic Party put up a place-holder candidate who was running in order to placate the national Democratic Party. Local Republicans advanced conservative Kelly Tshibaka, who was endorsed by not only by the party but President Donald Trump.
Using the new system, Murkowski easily won reelection in 2022, with the help of Alaskans who vote Democrat. In fact, Murkowski, due to ranked choice voting, ended up with the highest percentage of votes she has ever gotten, due to Democrat voters marking her either first or second on their ballot. Murkowski won 48.6% of the vote in 2004, 39.5% in 2010, 44.4% in 2016 and — due to the ranked choice advantage she and her supporters designed for her — 53.7% in 2022.
Now, with many Alaskans disillusioned with the false promises made by backers of ranked choice voting, the “No on 2” group brought in Murkowski, who is paying back the favor to the same people who helped her retain her seat in the Senate.
This month, Murkowski also endorsed Democrat Mary Peltola for Congress, the second time she has endorsed Peltola. Murkowski is once again on the outs with her own party, she continues to align more closely with the Alaska Democratic Party, which fully embraces ranked choice voting, after seeing how it worked for Murkowski and Peltola.
In the end, Murkowski became beholden to the Democrats because they helped her defeat Republican voters.
The $12.8 million in Outside money being spent to keep ranked-choice voting in Alaska is motivated by liberal entities who are in the process of spreading the system to other states. They’ve spent tens of millions of dollars and would be set back if Alaskans take back their elections from the outsiders like John Arnold of Texas, and the dark money entities that have taken over Alaska elections. Most of the funds they are expending this year are in Alaska — to save what they created as the model for other states.
Seeing the danger of dark money, five states this year banned the use of ranked-choice voting. They are Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Oklahoma.
On Nov. 5, Colorado, Idaho, and Nevada will vote on whether to adopt ranked-choice voting. Oregon and Washington, D.C. will also vote on adopting RCV in both party primaries and the general election.
Missouri will vote on a ballot measure to ban ranked-choice voting.
