Palin’s loss was nonetheless entirely due to her own deficiencies. She started the race with strongly negative poll ratings, which only worsened as the campaign continued. She clearly has the loyal support of many conservatives, but it’s hard to win an election when 60 percent of all voters disapprove of you…
Palin compounded her difficulties by running a shambolic non-campaign. She rarely appeared at events in Alaska, choosing instead to attend out-of-state fundraisers and CPAC Texas. Two weeks before the election, she didn’t even bother to respond to a request from the Anchorage Daily News, the state’s largest newspaper, for a written list of priorities should she prevail. Voters recognize when you’re not that into them.
She also surrendered chances to make the system work for her. When she did campaign, she attacked the ranked-choice voting system. Palin also lambasted the other Republican in the race, Nick Begich III, as a RINO. Both moves were counterproductive as all the polls showed no one would get a majority, which meant Palin would need second-choice votes from Begich’s supporters to win. Perhaps turned off by her vitriol, only half of Begich’s supporters ranked Palin as their second choice and about a fifth didn’t make a second choice at all.
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