Republican Sen. Murkowski Endorses Democrat For Alaska Governor

Authored by Chase Smith via The Epoch Times,

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) has endorsed Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins for Alaska governor, backing the former state lawmaker over three Republicans ahead of Election Day.

Alaska Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins. (Courtesy of JKT for Alaska)

Kreiss-Tomkins, who goes by JKT, is running to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy. He faces Republicans Bernadette Wilson, former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson, and former state Attorney General Treg Taylor in the Nov. 3 ranked-choice general election.

In a statement released by the Kreiss-Tomkins campaign on Oct. 27, Murkowski said Alaska needs a governor who listens to people with different views and looks for common ground. She pointed to the state’s fiscal future, energy costs, and economic growth as problems that require cooperation.

“Our future is too important to be hamstrung by partisan divisions,” Murkowski said.

She urged Republicans, independents, and Democrats to look closely at Kreiss-Tomkins and his running mate, Zac Johnson, who is running as a nonpartisan candidate.

Kreiss-Tomkins said he was honored to have her support. He pledged to work with Alaska’s congressional delegation, the Legislature, industry, and local communities.

“Alaskans deserve a government that can work through disagreements and make progress on the issues that matter,” he said.

Kreiss-Tomkins represented Sitka and other Southeast Alaska communities in the state House from 2013 to 2023. According to his campaign, he served in a bipartisan coalition in the chamber during that time.

The campaign also lists endorsements from three former governors: Tony Knowles, a Democrat; Bill Walker, an independent; and Frank Murkowski, a Republican and the senator’s father. It also lists several Republican former state lawmakers and more than a dozen labor unions.

The three former governors also backed Kreiss-Tomkins in an Anchorage Daily News op-ed published on Oct. 27.

Taylor said in a Facebook post that Murkowski’s decision to cross party lines and back a Democrat was “particularly disappointing.”

He said he was not surprised that Walker and Knowles support Kreiss-Tomkins, arguing that Alaskans faced higher taxes or smaller Permanent Fund dividends under their leadership. He added that his loyalty remains with Alaskans, not any political figure or endorsement.

Wilson, whom President Donald Trump endorsed on Oct. 13, said in an X post that Murkowski “abandoned Alaska values a long time ago.”

She accused Kreiss-Tomkins of supporting an income tax and opposing a full Permanent Fund dividend, and said she would work as governor to unseat Murkowski, whom she campaigned against in 2010.

The Republican Governors Association did not respond to a request for comment prior to publication.

The endorsement came days after Trump called Murkowski a “disgrace” to Alaska and the country in a Truth Social post.

Murkowski has broken with her party and Trump before. In 2024, she endorsed then-Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska), who lost her reelection bid. This year, Murkowski is backing Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) in his race against Peltola.

That Senate race is also the subject of a federal lawsuit. The Trump administration has asked a court to bar certification of the results if Sullivan loses, arguing that an independent candidate who shares his name could confuse voters.

Alaska officials asked the court on Oct. 26 to dismiss the case, saying the federal government has no authority to intervene in state elections.

A recent New York Times/Siena poll of likely voters showed Kreiss-Tomkins leading the field with 40 percent, followed by Wilson at 20 percent, Bronson at 15 percent, and Taylor at 11 percent.