re: Not looking good for MAGA in Alaska

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So you mean she’s a compromise pick? The horror! The biggest problem in our politics now is the polarized nature. This board talks all the time about how far left Democrats have gone vs. yesteryear, and it’s true. The cure for that is ranked choice voting. It pulls people back from the margins. Our current primary system leads to the far left and far right having outsized influence. That’s a problem. Rank voting is the solution.

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It's slightly different in Alaska.

First, Alaska already had a fierce independent streak and most of its registered voters are independent or undeclared. This is why the ranked choice voting group lobbied so hard for it after Maine passed it (Maine is more liberal than Alaska, but also is pretty independent).

Second, Murkowski always has a decent chance of winning in this contest because Alaskans LOVE to keep in long-term members of Congress. Don Young is a great example of that. Most of Alaskans only care that they can get more and more Fed monies given Fedgov owns most of the land in the State (and has a large military presence and Native presence).

The way that Alaskans get money in spite of their smaller State population is by continually electing folks that at LEAST meet this bare minimum requirement (get lots of money). The longer the member is in Congress, the better chances are that they have a senior chair seat and advocate for Alaskan positions.