Sarah Palin was surprisingly defeated by a Democratic opponent in the Alaskan midterm elections

Sarah Palin will not return to national politics for the time being. It was announced Thursday evening that the Republican politician who graced the 2008 US presidential race as John McCain’s running mate narrowly lost mid-August, mid-August, mid-August, mid-August, mid-August. Palin, who previously served as governor of the sprawling state in the Northwest and had the backing of former President Trump, was previously seen as the favorite.

But due to the new electoral system, ongoing anger over the repeal of the federal abortion law and a shortage of local salmon, the seat abruptly went to Democratic politician Mary Biltola. She will be the first local actress to represent Alaska in Washington.

Alaska’s seat in the House of Representatives was held for nearly half a century by a Republican who died in March. Last month, the caliph’s by-election took advantage of the new graduated electoral system for the first time. Voters do not cast a single vote, but rather arrange the entire field of candidates according to their preferences. If no candidate is considered the first choice by more than half of the electorate, a complex counting process begins. The votes for the second or third choice of the lowest ranked candidates are split among the top two contestants until there is a winner.

Sarah Palin lost despite campaign coffers and Donald Trump’s support

Alaska’s tiered electoral system, which other states are also watching with interest, was introduced in 2020 with the goal of depolarizing the two-party system. Since the vast majority of the 435 House of Representatives constituencies are considered “safe” Democrats or Republicans, the battle for a seat is often decided in party primaries. till then primaries Outspoken candidates from the left or the right often win, further polarizing and crippling Washington’s political business for decades.

The avant-garde trump

Sarah Palin entered national politics in 2008 as an example of this dichotomy. Senator John McCain, a moderate and the elderly, did not get on well with the right-wing populist section of the electorate. By choosing a young, outspoken right-wing woman for vice president, he hoped to save his campaign. However, inexperienced Palin left McCain behind eventual Democratic winner Barack Obama with a series of clumsy statements.

The year following that defeat, Palin left the governorship of Alaska, left politics, lived in southern Arizona for several years, and appeared with her wealthy family of children on her reality television series. In recent years, she has sometimes been seen as a commentator Fox News As a strong supporter of Trump. In November 2020, the then president received 53% of the vote in Alaska (versus 43% for Biden). Thanks to Trump’s support and her buoyant campaign coffers, Palin thus hoped to resume political work as a member of Congress.

Republicans received the most votes in the first round, but then the tiered electoral system began to moderate. In the votes cast for another Republican candidate, more voters placed Biltola in second place than Yen. In the end, the Democrat won by 51.5 percent.

Abortion and salmon

Biltola has campaigned as an outspoken supporter of legal abortion. In June, the Supreme Court overturned a ruling that had upheld the federal right to abortion since 1973, against the wishes of a large majority of Americans. Since then, Democrats have outperformed in several election races.

In addition, Peltola has been held more credible on a particularly high-profile issue in western Alaska right now: the growing shortage of salmon. Previously, she chaired a committee that regulates fishing rights for the various indigenous peoples who live along the rivers of western Alaska.

Peltola has only a few months to show how it plans to tackle these and other issues. With her late predecessor’s term ending in early 2023, she will have to defend her seat again in the congressional elections in early November. Sarah Palin will also participate in this race.