Simple fact is, more of he people who showed up to vote liked the democrat. You solve that by finding more voters who like the republican candidare.
There are problems with rank choice which wont be solved because the two parties like winnjng.
For example. Imagine
Candidates A, B , C
A is preferred by 40%, B by 35%, and C by 25%.
Also, of C voters, 80% want B over A.
Also, of A voters, 90% want C over B, and 90% of B voters want C over A.
Rank chouce drops C, and 4/5tha of ghec25% go to B, and B wins 55 45. Sems fair, 55% of the voters preferred B to A.
But note, if A dropped, 9/10 of the 40% would go to C, and C would win 61% to 39%. And if B dropped, C would win 56.5 to 43.5.
By looking at 2 way matchups, we find that a lot more oeople will be “satisfied” by the outcome if C wins, rather than A or B. But because C wasnt the first choice, Bends up winning. If the people who voted for A Knew there gue would lose, theyd vote for C