How Republicans Might Lose Alaska Again

Maria Peltola was sworn in as Alaska’s Democratic congresswoman Tuesday, and given her state’s Republican leanings, that phrase still rings out like the Cat rep from Dogtown. When Ms. Peltola won the special election last month, many in the GOP blamed Alaska’s new ranked voting system. The case for abandoning it is now supported by new data.

Remember how Ms. Peltola’s unlikely win went down: She was the only Democrat on the ballot with 40.2% of the first election vote. Two Republicans divided up the rest, Sarah Palin with 31.3% and Nick Begich with 28.5%. Under the ranking system, Mr. Begich was eliminated and his voters were shuffled to their second choice. Half emigrated to Mrs. Palin. A quarter went to Ms. Peltola, giving her a majority of 51.5%.