Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) speaks to reporters after a procedural vote on the Keystone XL Pipeline bill at the U.S. Capitol in 2015. If you have a group of x people, you need (x/2) + 1 votes to win the most votes. That holds true for most elections pitting two candidates against each other, and it holds true for passing legislation. Under its terms, Alaska and Hawaii would get to keep the tax credits that keep insurance costs affordable under Obamacare, though the rest of the country would lose them. To win a critical vote, Alaska (and Hawaii) might be spared many of the negative effects of the legislation.

Source: Washington Post September 21, 2017 20:40 UTC