Anchorage, Alaska: Sen. Murkowski Endorses Democrat Kreiss-Tomkins for Governor Over Three Republicans

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican, endorsed Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins for governor of Alaska on Tuesday, October 27, crossing party lines one week before Election Day to back the only Democrat in a four way race against three Republicans.

Kreiss-Tomkins, a former state lawmaker from Sitka, is running against business owner Bernadette Wilson, former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson and former Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor to replace Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a Republican who cannot run again after two terms. The election is on Tuesday, November 3, and Alaska ranks its votes.

The senator's statement and her criticism of the current governor

In a prepared statement distributed by the Kreiss-Tomkins campaign, Murkowski said Alaska needs a governor willing to work with lawmakers from both parties. "Our future is too important to be hamstrung by partisan divisions," she said. "Jonathan understands that governing requires listening to people with different perspectives and finding common ground to solve the problems all of us face."

In an interview with Alaska's News Source, the Anchorage television station KTUU, Murkowski called Kreiss-Tomkins a young Alaskan with a freshness of energy and a known ability to work together. "We need a governor who's going to work with the Legislature," she said. "That has got to happen for the delegation to be successful back in Washington, D.C."

She also criticized the outgoing administration directly. "I have found fault with the Dunleavy administration," she said. "I think that they have left federal money on the table."

Three former governors back him the same day

Murkowski was not the only senior figure to move on Tuesday. Three former governors, Democrat Tony Knowles, Republican Frank Murkowski and independent Bill Walker, also endorsed Kreiss-Tomkins in a letter published by the Juneau Independent. Frank Murkowski is the senator's father. Knowles served from 1994 to 2002, Frank Murkowski from 2002 to 2006, and Walker from 2014 to 2018.

The three backed his commitments to increase and stabilize public education funding, take a balanced approach to fisheries and infrastructure, and support further constitutional protections for the Alaska Permanent Fund. Walker told the Juneau Independent that the Republican candidates were not talking about the state's fiscal issues. "JKT talks about being the math candidate, and I believe in math and we've got a math problem," Walker said.

Kreiss-Tomkins represented Sitka and surrounding communities in the state House from 2013 to 2022. He has campaigned on bipartisan cooperation and pledged to include Republicans and independents in his administration if elected. "I'm honored to have Senator Murkowski's support," he said in a statement. "Alaskans deserve a government that can work through disagreements and make progress on the issues that matter."

The race a week out, and the Republican response

A September New York Times and Siena poll of likely voters put Kreiss-Tomkins first with about 40 percent support, followed by Wilson at 20 percent, Bronson at 15 percent and Taylor at 11 percent, according to Alaska's News Source and The Hill. President Donald Trump endorsed Wilson on October 13 and has urged Bronson and Taylor to drop out to avoid splitting the Republican vote, The Hill reported.

Wilson dismissed the endorsements in a statement through her campaign. "It doesn't matter who has endorsed 'Just Keep Taxing' JKT," her statement said, arguing that he wants an income tax, voted to double the gas tax and does not support the full Permanent Fund Dividend. Taylor called Murkowski's decision to cross party lines particularly disappointing. Bronson's campaign did not respond to the Juneau Independent on Tuesday afternoon.