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Archive photo · 3 February 2026Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins Wins Alaska Governor Race, Ending Republican Control
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Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins elected Alaska governor, flipping the office from Republican control. He will be the youngest governor in Alaska history.
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Kreiss-Tomkins flips Alaska
Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins won Alaska’s gubernatorial election, defeating Trump-endorsed Republican Bernadette Wilson and ending Republican control of the governor’s office. The Associated Press called the race for Kreiss-Tomkins on Friday evening local time, and the AP described him as the first Democratic governor in Alaska since 1998. Kreiss-Tomkins, a former state lawmaker from Sitka, won in a four-way general election under Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system, and he secured a majority in the first round so there was no need for additional rounds of vote counting.
Mike Dunleavy’s term limits barred him from seeking a third consecutive term, and the election unfolded as Republicans battled among themselves over who should succeed him. NBC News projected the win as Kreiss-Tomkins, at 37, would become the youngest governor in Alaska and, next year, the youngest acting governor in the country.
Trump, Murkowski, and Wilson
President Donald Trump endorsed Wilson during a campaign in which multiple Republicans competed for the governor’s office, and Trump publicly criticized Dave Bronson and Treg Taylor for dividing conservative voters.
Lisa Murkowski endorsed Kreiss-Tomkins one week before Election Day, and Murkowski told KTUU: "JKT is a young Alaskan with a vision and a perspective I think Alaska needs right now: renewed energy, a sensible leader who has shown he can work as part of a team".
Wilson finished in a distant second in the general election, and she told Alaska Beacon that: "JKT was on top on election night, on top in the first round. He’s gonna be your governor."
Kreiss-Tomkins framed his approach as working across party lines, and he said in a statement declaring victory earlier Friday that voters wanted change and "a government that works across party lines to move Alaska forward."
The Associated Press called the Alaska contest after over a week of counting votes, including those coming in by mail and from remote parts of the state.
What the win changes
Kreiss-Tomkins’ victory means Democrats will control the governor’s office in 30 states, and the win was described as part of a national midterm elections wave that gave Democrats sweeping wins in state governments across the country.
The Hill reported that Kreiss-Tomkins took 50.8 percent of the vote over Wilson’s 28.1 percent, and the Decision Desk HQ projection placed the race at 90 percent of ballots counted as of 11:57 p.m. EST Friday.
Kreiss-Tomkins will replace term-limited Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy, and NPR reported that he will take office at noon Dec. 7.
Democracy Docket linked the governorship shift to Alaska’s contentious U.S. Senate race, saying ballots were still being tallied with Democratic challenger Mary Peltola leading incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan by 5,800 votes as of Friday afternoon.
Democracy Docket also reported that Dunleavy refused to commit to signing off on certification of the Senate race if Peltola wins, and it said the Division of Elections is eyeing to certify the election on Nov. 25.