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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Sarah Palin faces Alaska voters again in a special election for Congress
Alaskans go to the polls Tuesday to decide, among other things, whether to send former governor and Republican vice2 presidential nominee3 Sarah Palin to Congress.
The right-wing Republican is among three candidates in a special election for Alaska's sole U.S. House seat. Palin is up against Republican Nick Begich III and Democrat4 Mary Peltola in the first test of Alaska's new ranked-choice voting system.
The winner will serve until the end of the year, finishing the term of GOP Rep. Don Young. He died in March after serving 49 years.
Begich is a wealthy tech entrepreneur. He was co-chair of Young's 2020 campaign but turned on the incumbent5 the next year and ran to Young's right. He comes from a family of prominent Democrats6 and is named for his grandfather, the congressman7 who held the seat before Young.
With two conservatives splitting the vote, Peltola, a salmon8 advocate and former state legislator from western Alaska, is likely to gain the most first-choice ballots10. But the winner of the special election won't be known until the end of August, after all the mailed ballots arrive. That's when the Alaska Division of Elections will tabulate11 the rankings. The third-place finisher will be eliminated and the ballots that went to the candidate will be reallocated according to the voters' second choices.
Palin has called it the "screwiest system" that "makes no sense to most voters."
A slim majority of Alaska voters adopted the new method in 2020. It pairs a nonpartisan primary with ranked choice voting in the general.
To win the special general, one of the conservatives would have to get enough second-choice votes from the other to overcome Peltola's likely lead in the first round of counting.
The two Republicans have been attacking each other for weeks while leaving Peltola alone.
Palin recently called the Democrat a "sweetheart," even as she attacks Begich for supporting Democrats in past races.
Begich has called Palin a "quitter," tapping into the disappointment many Alaska Republicans felt when she resigned as governor in 2009 in the wake of her unsuccessful campaign as John McCain's vice presidential running mate in 2008.
"We picked her to do a job, and she didn't bother to finish it. Because she wanted to go out there and get rich and famous," a Begich ad says.
While they need second-choice votes, Begich and Palin have a more immediate13 concern.
"Game No. 1 has to be that you don't come in third," said Art Hackney, a Republican consultant14 working for Begich. "Because if you come in third, you are, you know, moot15 to the whole thing, and it becomes your second-choice votes that are the things that matter."
To complicate16 this election day for voters, it is also the day of the regular primary.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a moderate Republican who supports abortion17 rights, is on the ballot9 for reelection with 18 challengers. Among them is attorney and evangelical pastor18 Kelly Tshibaka. She, like Palin, has the endorsement19 of former President Donald Trump20.
The Alaska Republican Party would like to punish Murkowski for voting to convict Trump at his second impeachment21 trial, but the new system eliminates the partisan12 primary. The top four vote-getters will advance to the November ballot. Murkowski and Tshibaka are both sure to make the cut, along with Democrat Pat Chesbro, a retired22 educator.
Also at stake this election season: Who will serve the next full term in the U.S. House. Begich, Palin and Peltola are all in that race, too.
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transcript
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n.抄本,誊本,副本,肄业证书 | |
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vice
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n.坏事;恶习;[pl.]台钳,老虎钳;adj.副的 | |
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nominee
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n.被提名者;被任命者;被推荐者 | |
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democrat
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n.民主主义者,民主人士;民主党党员 | |
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incumbent
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adj.成为责任的,有义务的;现任的,在职的 | |
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democrats
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n.民主主义者,民主人士( democrat的名词复数 ) | |
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Congressman
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n.(美)国会议员 | |
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salmon
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n.鲑,大马哈鱼,橙红色的 | |
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ballot
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n.(不记名)投票,投票总数,投票权;vi.投票 | |
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ballots
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n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 );选举;选票;投票总数v.(使)投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 ) | |
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tabulate
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v.列表,排成表格式 | |
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partisan
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adj.党派性的;游击队的;n.游击队员;党徒 | |
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immediate
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adj.立即的;直接的,最接近的;紧靠的 | |
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consultant
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n.顾问;会诊医师,专科医生 | |
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moot
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v.提出;adj.未决议的;n.大会;辩论会 | |
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complicate
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vt.使复杂化,使混乱,使难懂 | |
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abortion
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n.流产,堕胎 | |
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pastor
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n.牧师,牧人 | |
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endorsement
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n.背书;赞成,认可,担保;签(注),批注 | |
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trump
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n.王牌,法宝;v.打出王牌,吹喇叭 | |
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impeachment
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n.弹劾;控告;怀疑 | |
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retired
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adj.隐退的,退休的,退役的 | |
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