House Republicans who voted to impeach President Trump in the aftermath of the January 6 insurrection have been decimated in their primaries. But Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski — the only Senate Republican who voted to convict Trump that is up for re-election in 2022 — is inoculated by the new voting system her state implemented this year — a top-four all-party primary, and then ranked-choice voting being implemented come November among the final quartet of candidates.
However, the initial primary results after next Tuesday may not show Murkowski in first place, several Alaska Republican insiders increasingly believe. She faces the most aggressive challenge from former State Administration Commissioner Kelly Tshibaka. After Murkowski voted to convict Trump, she was censured by the state party, which in turn has backed Tshibaka.
One Republican strategist in the state said there’s a “high likelihood” Murkowski will finish second behind Tshibaka, although that shouldn’t raise “alarm bells” for November or portend that she is in peril of losing her seat. The August primary — one of the best months in Alaska
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