This reform is Murkowski’s secret weapon. She is certain to end up in the top four of an open Alaskan primary, so she will make it to the general election ballot. Then, even if she’s not the first choice of die-hard Alaskan Republicans who prefer a more pro-Trump candidate, she is likely to get a large number of “second choice” votes. She could still lose, of course — but she’s far less vulnerable after Ballot Measure 2 than she was before it. In other words, Alaska’s electoral reforms have meant that a principled Republican centrist who stood up to Trump can actually win, rather than being knocked off from the right by a pro-Trump firebrand in a closed primary. The story for Cheney could be quite different. She will compete in a traditional Republican primary. Cheney won’t benefit from ranked-choice voting. Her days in Congress could therefore be numbered. Cheney stuck to her principles and stood up to Trump, even though she is more likely to pay the electoral price.