JKT Tops 50% in Alaska Governor’s Race as Peltola Extends Senate Lead

Democratic candidate Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins crossed the 50 percent threshold in Alaska’s gubernatorial race on Thursday pulling ahead of three Republican competitors with 50.2 percent of the total vote.

With 88 percent of votes counted, CNN projected that Kreiss-Tomkins will win the race, which would make him the first Democrat elected to lead the state in two decades. The contest proved more competitive than Democrats initially expected in a state Donald Trump carried by double digits in 2016, 2020, and 2024, receiving 54.5 percent of the vote in the most recent presidential election.

Kreiss-Tomkins campaigned on affordability, healthcare access, and protecting fisheries.

Jonathan understands that governing requires listening to people with different perspectives and finding common ground to solve the problems all of us face.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski

Murkowski said that the state’s future is “too important to be hamstrung by partisan divisions,” according to a campaign statement released on October 27. Former Democratic Gov. Tony Knowles, who held office from 1994 to 2002, also endorsed the candidate.

If Kreiss-Tomkins maintains his majority above 50 percent once all remaining ballots are processed, Alaska will avoid a ranked-choice voting runoff. Should his percentage slip below 50 percent, the ranked-choice tabulation process will occur on November 18. The Alaska Division of Elections set a target date of November 25 to certify the election results.

The incoming governor faces an accelerated transition schedule. Under the Alaska Constitution, the four-year term begins at noon on December 7, leaving just 12 days between certification and the inauguration. State law mandates that the governor’s proposed budget be submitted by December 15, requiring the new administration to take immediate fiscal responsibility.

Meanwhile, in the state’s U.S. Senate race, Democratic candidate Mary Peltola led incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan with 49.1 percent of the vote compared to Sullivan’s 46.8 percent, according to unofficial returns.

Kreiss-Tomkins, who was born and raised in Sitka, previously represented Southeast Alaska’s island communities for 10 years in the State House. “We want to be an administration for all Alaskans,” Democratic candidate Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins said during the Resource Development Council annual conference in Anchorage on Wednesday, speaking about his priorities if his victory is cemented.

His campaign projected that after remaining ballots are counted, he will secure a majority of first-choice votes, delivering a decisive win over Republican candidates Bernadette Wilson, Dave Bronson, and Treg Taylor.

In the latest counts, Bernadette Wilson, a television and radio host, trailed the former state representative with 28.7 percent of the vote. Former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson registered 13.8 percent, and former Attorney General Treg Taylor stood at 7.3 percent.

The four finalists had advanced from an August primary election that winnowed a field of 17 candidates down to four. Earlier in the race, the second Democratic finalist, former state Sen. Tom Begich, withdrew to consolidate Democratic support behind Kreiss-Tomkins.

Voters in Alaska adopted ranked-choice voting and an open primary system in 2020, allowing multiple candidates from the same party to advance to the general election. This year marked the first change of governors since ranked-choice voting was introduced. In all elections, Ballot Measure 2, which aimed to repeal the ranked-choice voting system, trailed in unofficial returns with about 53 percent opposed.

The U.S. Senate race also featured prominent developments alongside the contest between Peltola and incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. Independent candidate Bill Hill trailed Republican Congressman Nick Begich III in the U.S. House race, while spoiler candidates played a notable role in federal contests.

The Trump administration previously filed a lawsuit seeking to block election results if Peltola won by a margin smaller than the votes received by the Petersburg resident, alleging voter confusion tactics, though a District Court judge dismissed the case and an appeal followed.