Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski endorsed Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins for governor of Alaska on Tuesday, crossing party lines five days before Election Day to back the former state lawmaker over three Republican candidates — including the candidate endorsed by President Donald Trump.
In a statement released by the Kreiss-Tomkins campaign, Murkowski said Alaska needs a governor willing to work with lawmakers from both parties, arguing that partisan divisions have held the state back.
A rare cross-party endorsement
“Our future is too important to be hamstrung by partisan divisions,” Murkowski said. “Jonathan understands that governing requires listening to people with different perspectives and finding common ground to solve the problems all of us face.”
She encouraged Alaskans of every political stripe to take a close look at Kreiss-Tomkins and his running mate, saying Alaska needs leaders who will put the state first. In an interview with Anchorage television station KTUU, she went further, saying the state needs a governor who will work with the Legislature.
“We need a governor who’s going to work with the Legislature,” Murkowski said. “That has got to happen for the delegation to be successful back in Washington, D.C.”
She also criticized the outgoing administration of term-limited Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy, saying it had left federal money on the table in areas where Alaska’s congressional delegation had worked to create opportunities.
The race it shakes up
Kreiss-Tomkins, widely known as J.K.T., represented Sitka and surrounding communities in the state House for a decade. He is the only Democrat in the race, facing Republicans Bernadette Wilson, former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson and former state Attorney General Treg Taylor. Trump endorsed Wilson earlier this month.
Alaska uses ranked-choice voting, and nonpartisan and undeclared voters made up about 63 percent of the state’s registered voters as of early September, according to the Division of Elections — a large bloc that cross-party appeals are aimed at.
| Candidate | Party | September NYT/Siena poll |
|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins | Democrat | About 40% |
| Bernadette Wilson | Republican (Trump-endorsed) | About 20% |
| Dave Bronson | Republican | About 15% |
| Treg Taylor | Republican | About 11% |
The poll figures come from a September 2026 New York Times/Siena survey cited by Alaska’s News Source, which also reported that Kreiss-Tomkins had raised more campaign money than any of his three Republican rivals. Kreiss-Tomkins has pledged to include Republicans and independents in his administration if elected.
Not the first break with her party
Murkowski has crossed party lines before: she endorsed Democrat Mary Peltola for the U.S. House in 2022 and 2024. Her own history in Alaska politics is unusual — she lost the Republican primary in 2010 and won the general election as a write-in candidate, then won reelection in 2022 under ranked-choice voting.
The endorsement came three days after Trump called Murkowski “a disgrace to Alaska and our country,” according to Alaska News. Wilson, the Trump-endorsed Republican, responded sharply, saying Murkowski “abandoned Alaska values a long time ago” and calling Kreiss-Tomkins “Just Keep Taxing” J.K.T. She also said that as governor she would “actively work to unseat the worst ‘Republican’ senator in the country.” Murkowski is next up for reelection in 2028.
Kreiss-Tomkins said he was honored by the support. “Alaskans deserve a government that can work through disagreements and make progress on the issues that matter,” he said.
What to watch next
Alaskans vote Tuesday, November 3, in a race rated as leaning Democratic by NBC News’ Decision Desk. The result will show whether Murkowski’s brand of bipartisanship still carries weight in a state where most voters decline to register with either major party — and whether a Republican senator’s endorsement can move a governor’s race in the final days.
Sources: The Hill (via CW7 Arizona), “Lisa Murkowski breaks with GOP to endorse candidate Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins” (Oct. 27, 2026); Alaska News, “Murkowski endorses Democrat Kreiss-Tomkins” (Oct. 2026); NBC News / Alaska’s News Source reporting on the September 2026 New York Times/Siena poll.
