As midterm elections roll closer and it seems as though Republicans will be able to push in to gain control of both the Senate and the House, one Republican senator has chosen to vote for and back her Democrat friend instead of the plethora of Republican candidates, including that of former Governor Sarah Palin.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) expressed to the media in the wake of an event in Anchorage that she is “so happy to welcome Mary Peltola as our representative for all of Alaska,” as reported by a story from the Anchorage Daily News. As a Democrat, Peltola took a win in a special election carried out in August to find a replacement for the late Rep. Don Young (R-AK), who passed away this past March in the wake of working as the lone rep for the state for well over fifty years.
One reporter out of the Anchorage Daily News questioned of the senator if she was currently planning on slotting in Peltola’s name first for the new ranked-choice voting ballot in Alaska this coming November. Murkowski answered, “Yeah, I am,” later explaining that “Mary is a friend. … We have been friends for 25 years, and the fact that we’re Republican and Democrat has never interfered with that friendship.”
The Democrat candidate has stood on a campaign platform of battling climate change, supporting abortion rights, pushing for the far-left LGBTQ Equality Act, and supporting and strengthing Obamacare. Peltola managed to beat out both Republicans Nick Begich III and Palin in what has been labeled a surprise victory for Democrats in the first attempted ranked-choice voting election for Alaska.
For the special election carried out in August, Palin, who held an endorsement of former President Donald Trump, dropped well over four times the level of funds spent by the Peltola campaign, as reported by Politico. The election results ended up being quite a surprise for many people, not just due to the fact that Republicans historically dominated the area for decades, but also due to Trump beating out Old Uncle Joe in the state back in 2020.
The Alaskan senator, who is slated to also be on the ballot next month, stood strongly by her vocal support of the Democratic candidate throughout the red state during the very competitive cycle.
“I know that bothers some people who want me to be that rigid, partisan person, and I’m just not. I’m not, haven’t been, and I won’t be,” expressed Murkowski. “I do not toe the party line just because party leaders have asked or because it may be expected. My first obligation is to the people of the state of Alaska.”
