Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins wins Alaska governor's race

Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins has won the Alaska governor's race, flipping control of the office from Republicans, according to NBC News and The Associated Press.

Election result

Kreiss-Tomkins, a former state representative, won a majority of the vote on the four-candidate ballot, NBC News projects. Newsweek reported he passed the threshold to avoid a ranked-choice voting runoff with 50.2 percent of the total vote, with 88 percent of votes counted as of Friday early morning. Bernadette M. Wilson trailed with 28.7 percent, followed by Dave Bronson with 13.8 percent and Treg Taylor with 7.3 percent.

At 37, Kreiss-Tomkins will be the youngest governor in Alaska history and next year he will be the youngest sitting governor in the country. The New York Times reports he will be the first Democrat elected to lead the state since 1998.

Campaign and endorsements

Kreiss-Tomkins defeated three Republicans on the ballot to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Mike Dunleavy. The three Republican candidates were Anchorage businesswoman Bernadette Wilson, former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson and former state Attorney General Treg Taylor. Wilson, who was backed by President Donald Trump, finished a distant second.

Former state Sen. Tom Begich, a Democrat, had finished second in the August primary just behind Kreiss-Tomkins but dropped out to consolidate Democratic support behind him.

Kreiss-Tomkins earned bipartisan support during his campaign, including an endorsement from GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski one week before Election Day. Murkowski said in an interview with NBC affiliate KTUU of Anchorage: "JKT is a young Alaskan with a view and a perspective that I think Alaska needs right now — a freshness of energy, a common-sense guy who has a known ability to be working together."

Kreiss-Tomkins campaigned on boosting funding for public schools, lowering energy costs, expanding Medicaid and protecting Alaska's fisheries. He also called for a moratorium on all new data centers until the state Legislature can pass regulations, and said he would not allow direct or indirect subsidies to data centers for electricity costs.

Why it matters

The victory marks the latest gain for Democrats at the state level in this year's elections. The party will hold 30 governorships next year after flipping control in six states, according to NBC News. Kreiss-Tomkins' win could also help ensure fair certification of the state's contentious U.S. Senate race, where Democratic challenger Mary Peltola is leading incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan by 5,800 votes as of Friday afternoon, according to Democracy Docket. Under the Alaska Constitution, the next governor and lieutenant governor will be sworn in on Dec. 7.

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Sources

• thestar.com: Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins wins election for governor in Alaska
• democracydocket.com: Democrat wins Alaska governor race, in setback for GOP scheme to steal Senate seat - Democracy Docket
• nbcnews.com: Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins elected Alaska governor
• nytimes.com: A Democrat Wins the Alaska Governor’s Race for the First Time Since 1998 - The New York Times
• newsweek.com: Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins Makes Alaska Governor Race Breakthrough - Newsweek
• newsday.com: Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins wins election for governor in Alaska - Newsday

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.