Trump enemies Liz Cheney, Lisa Murkowski face GOP primary challengers as Sarah Palin stages comeback

It’s a different story for Murkowski, one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump over the Capitol riot. Trump was impeached in the House but acquitted by the Senate, where a two-thirds vote was required for conviction.

The four leading candidates in Tuesday’s primary are slated to move forward to the general election. Murkowski, who has held the seat since 2002 and faces a roster of 18 mostly little-known Republican primary candidates, is expected to easily nab one of the four slots.

The general election in Alaska will be conducted using ranked-choice voting. The system was adopted through a ballot measure in 2020 — just in time for Murkowski, who is not guaranteed to secure the most votes in Tuesday’s primary.

Trump has endorsed Kelly Tshibaka, former Alaska Department of Administration commissioner, to take on Murkowski. The state’s Republican Party has endorsed Tshibaka over the incumbent Murkowski for the Senate seat.

While polls of the Alaska race are few — and some experts say the state’s public opinion surveys are notoriously unreliable — the available results show Murkowski and Tshibaka jockeying for the lead heading into the primary.

Should they both move on to the general as expected, Murkowski will have a much bigger financial advantage: She has more than $5.3 million in cash on hand as of late July, versus about $800,000 for Tshibaka, campaign finance data show.

Tuesday’s returns will provide the clearest picture of the race so far. Even if she comes in behind Tshibaka, Murkowski has proven herself able to overcome steep hurdles in politics: In a 2010 Senate race, she lost the primary but won in the general with a write-in campaign, making her the first senator in more than 50 years to accomplish that feat.

Her challenger in that race was endorsed by Sarah Palin, the former governor of Alaska and wildcard running mate in John McCain’s failed 2008 presidential bid against Barack Obama.

Palin, a darling of the defunct right-wing Tea Party movement, abruptly resigned as governor in 2009. Now, she is attempting a return to elected office by running for the state’s sole U.S. House seat, which was vacated by the death of Rep. Don Young, a Republican.

The special election to serve out the rest of Young’s term will be conducted using the new ranked-choice voting system. Palin is competing against Republican Nick Begich III and Democrat Mary Peltola in the contest.

Palin, who is endorsed by Trump, came first in the primary race in June. Like the former president, Palin has worked as a political commentator and a reality-TV host since she gave up the governorship.

Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/16/trump-enemies-liz-cheney-lisa-murkowski-face-gop-primary-challengers.html