Trump calls Murkowski a disgrace and urges Alaskans to repeal ranked-choice voting

President Donald Trump called Sen. Lisa Murkowski "a disgrace to Alaska and our country" on Saturday and urged Alaskans to vote yes on Ballot Measure 2, which would repeal ranked-choice voting.

In a Truth Social post Saturday evening, Trump wrote that Murkowski opposes the Justice Department's lawsuit over Alaska's U.S. Senate race because "the Democrats want to steal the election, and Murkowski probably wants that to happen."

Murkowski said Friday that the department "should never have filed this lawsuit." "Alaskans don't need any help voting for their preferred candidates, and the State of Alaska has already handled this by clearly distinguishing the candidates on this year's ballot," she wrote.

She endorsed Sen. Dan Sullivan, a fellow Republican, for reelection in January. She had backed Democrat Mary Peltola, Sullivan's opponent this year, in Peltola's earlier U.S. House races.

Trump called Murkowski "the Republicans' worst senator, by far," and wrote that she "only got elected because of corrupt ranked choice voting."

Murkowski won the seat in 2004 and was reelected in 2010 and 2016, before Alaska used ranked-choice voting. Her 2010 win came as a write-in candidate after she lost the Republican primary. In 2022, the first general election under ranked choice, she narrowly led Republican Kelly Tshibaka in the first round of counting and won the final round with 54% of the vote.

Trump also wrote that the ranked-choice ballot is "a total Democrat scam meant to confuse the voter," so that the senator will lose votes to Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., "a man who has never participated in politics before."

His post included an image of a ranked-choice ballot for the race under the word "SCAM!" The image lists the senator as a registered Republican and the incumbent, and Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. with no party.

Alaska voters approved ranked-choice voting in 2020, and a repeal failed by 743 votes in 2024. A yes vote on this year's Measure 2 would end ranked-choice voting and the open primary.

Trump wrote that the lawsuit is meant "to stop this impending crime and tragedy." No one has been charged, and the lawsuit is a civil case. Daniel J. Sullivan, of Petersburg, has said he decided to run on his own.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday, asks a federal judge to block certification of the Senate result if the senator loses and would have won had every vote for Daniel J. Sullivan gone to him. Trump has said he directed the department to sue.

Early voting is underway, and Election Day is Nov. 3.