Alaska voters have put a Democrat in the governor’s office for the first time since 1998, electing former state lawmaker Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins over three Republican rivals, including a candidate endorsed by President Trump.
Kreiss-Tomkins, 37, often called JKT, defeated Republicans Bernadette Wilson, Dave Bronson and Treg Taylor. Trump had endorsed Wilson, a business owner, and had publicly criticized the other two for staying in the race rather than clearing the field.
Bronson, a former mayor of Anchorage, congratulated Kreiss-Tomkins on social media. A message seeking comment from Wilson’s campaign was not immediately returned.
The win is part of a broader midterm shift that has handed Democrats control of 30 governors’ offices nationally, including pickups in states such as Iowa, Georgia, Ohio and Texas.
A campaign built on affordability and infrastructure
Kreiss-Tomkins traveled the state to build support, centering his campaign on affordability, full funding for public schools, and a demand that oil and gas producers pay corporate income tax. He also called for a moratorium on new data centers until state lawmakers write rules governing their development.
He argued Alaska had become “broken” after eight years under outgoing Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy, pointing in particular to the state ferry system, which he said has been gutted, with routes to many communities cut drastically. The ferries are a lifeline for southeast Alaska communities that lack road connections and, in some cases, have limited air service.
He has signaled he wants a bipartisan Cabinet. “If they’re competent, if they’re service-minded, if they’re entrepreneurial, if they’re problem-solvers, you’re on the team. Game on,” he said at a candidate forum last month. “Let’s go, and let’s get Alaska back on track.”
Crossover endorsements
Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who has frequently broken with her party and with Trump, endorsed Kreiss-Tomkins a week before the election, saying he “understands that governing requires listening to people with different perspectives and finding common ground to solve the problems all of us face.”
Three former Alaska governors also backed him: Democrat Tony Knowles, independent Bill Walker, and Republican Frank Murkowski, the senator’s father.
In a victory statement, Kreiss-Tomkins said voters wanted “a government that works across party lines to move Alaska forward. Our administration will not waste a single day getting to work to solve problems for Alaska.” He said his campaign drew more than 10,000 donors. His campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment after the Associated Press called the race.
How the field narrowed
Many Republicans had hoped Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system would help the party hold the seat — a strategy at odds with Trump, who has repeatedly attacked the state’s voting method, including at a rally in Alaska in October.
Kreiss-Tomkins led August’s open primary, followed by a second Democrat, Tom Begich, who dropped out. Begich’s campaign said at the time it had concluded the “strongest path to victory is to bring Democratic voters, donors and resources together behind one candidate.” Wilson finished third in the primary.
Kreiss-Tomkins said compromise “is a virtue, not a dirty word,” framing the next governor’s job as working with lawmakers to resolve longstanding disputes.
Alaska’s last Democratic governor, Tony Knowles, left office in 2002 after two terms. Walker, an independent, served from 2014 to 2018. Kreiss-Tomkins will be sworn in Dec. 7, alongside Lieutenant Governor Zac Johnson, an independent.
