Democrat Kreiss-Tomkins wins Alaska governor, first Democrat in the job since 2002

Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins has won the race for governor of Alaska, according to a race call by the Associated Press ¹. NBC News also projects that he won, flipping the office from Republican control ². The call came after over a week of counting votes, including mail ballots and those from remote parts of the state ¹.

Kreiss-Tomkins is a former state representative from Sitka, a small island community ¹. He often goes by his initials, JKT. At 37, he will be the youngest governor in Alaska history ¹².

A first in more than two decades

He will replace Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a term-limited Republican who has been governor since 2018 ¹. Alaska's last Democratic governor was Tony Knowles, who left office in 2002 ¹.

He faced three Republicans: Bernadette Wilson, who was backed by President Trump, former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson and former state Attorney General Treg Taylor ¹. NBC News reports that Wilson finished a distant second ². Kreiss-Tomkins won a majority on the first ballot, so Alaska's ranked-choice counting never came into play ².

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Another Democrat, former state Sen. Tom Begich, finished second in the August primary. He dropped out soon after to consolidate Democratic support behind Kreiss-Tomkins ².

A bipartisan pitch

Kreiss-Tomkins made a "high-energy, bipartisan, problem-solving approach" a centerpiece of his campaign ¹. He says he plans to build an administration of Democrats, Republicans and independents ¹. He was endorsed by three former governors, a Democrat, a Republican and an independent, and by Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski ¹.

I strongly believe people just want things to work, and want people to work together,

He campaigned on boosting funding for public schools, lowering energy costs, expanding Medicaid and protecting Alaska's fisheries ². Medicaid is the joint federal-state health program for low-income people. He also called for a moratorium on all new data centers until the Legislature can pass regulations ².

What he inherits

Alaskans have complained that things are not working as they should ¹. Rising costs and relatively flat state funding have forced schools to close and class sizes to rise ¹. Costs for food, fuel and housing have risen sharply, and a looming shortage of easily accessible natural gas near population centers threatens to push prices higher ¹.

Alaskans have also been migrating out of the state for more than a decade ¹.

Voters also faced a ballot question on scrapping the state's ranked-choice system. That proposal failed, according to another AP race call, so the system stays ¹.

The win adds to the Democratic gains in the midterms. With it and others, Democrats will hold 30 governors' offices, up from 24 now ¹. NBC News counts six states flipped ². That matters because governors run state budgets and agencies, including Medicaid and school funding.

The Record

1. Dec 1, 2002Tony Knowles, the state's last Democratic governor, left office ¹.
2. Dec 3, 2018Republican Mike Dunleavy became Alaska governor ¹.
3. Nov 14, 2026AP and NBC News called the Alaska governor's race for Kreiss-Tomkins after more than a week of counting ¹².

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<h2>Democrat Kreiss-Tomkins wins Alaska governor, first Democrat in the job since 2002</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Campaign Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/democrat-kreiss-tomkins-wins-alaska-governor-first-democrat-in-the-job-since-2002">The GOP Files</a> on Saturday, November 14, 2026.</em></p> <p>Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins has won the race for governor of Alaska, according to a race call by the Associated Press . NBC News also projects that he won, flipping the office from Republican control . The call came after over a week of counting votes, including mail ballots and those from remote parts of the state .</p> <p>Kreiss-Tomkins is a former state representative from Sitka, a small island community . He often goes by his initials, JKT. At 37, he will be the youngest governor in Alaska history .</p> <h2>A first in more than two decades</h2> <p>He will replace Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a term-limited Republican who has been governor since 2018 . Alaska&#39;s last Democratic governor was Tony Knowles, who left office in 2002 .</p> <p>He faced three Republicans: Bernadette Wilson, who was backed by President Trump, former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson and former state Attorney General Treg Taylor . NBC News reports that Wilson finished a distant second . Kreiss-Tomkins won a majority on the first ballot, so Alaska&#39;s ranked-choice counting never came into play .</p> <p>Another Democrat, former state Sen. Tom Begich, finished second in the August primary. He dropped out soon after to consolidate Democratic support behind Kreiss-Tomkins .</p> <h2>A bipartisan pitch</h2> <p>Kreiss-Tomkins made a &quot;high-energy, bipartisan, problem-solving approach&quot; a centerpiece of his campaign . He says he plans to build an administration of Democrats, Republicans and independents . He was endorsed by three former governors, a Democrat, a Republican and an independent, and by Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski .</p> <blockquote><p>I strongly believe people just want things to work, and want people to work together,</p><p>&mdash; Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, Governor-elect of Alaska, Democrat</p></blockquote> <p>He campaigned on boosting funding for public schools, lowering energy costs, expanding Medicaid and protecting Alaska&#39;s fisheries . Medicaid is the joint federal-state health program for low-income people. He also called for a moratorium on all new data centers until the Legislature can pass regulations .</p> <h2>What he inherits</h2> <p>Alaskans have complained that things are not working as they should . Rising costs and relatively flat state funding have forced schools to close and class sizes to rise . Costs for food, fuel and housing have risen sharply, and a looming shortage of easily accessible natural gas near population centers threatens to push prices higher .</p> <p>Alaskans have also been migrating out of the state for more than a decade .</p> <p>Voters also faced a ballot question on scrapping the state&#39;s ranked-choice system. That proposal failed, according to another AP race call, so the system stays .</p> <p>The win adds to the Democratic gains in the midterms. With it and others, Democrats will hold 30 governors&#39; offices, up from 24 now . NBC News counts six states flipped . That matters because governors run state budgets and agencies, including Medicaid and school funding.</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/democrat-kreiss-tomkins-wins-alaska-governor-first-democrat-in-the-job-since-2002">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/democrat-kreiss-tomkins-wins-alaska-governor-first-democrat-in-the-job-since-2002.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. NPR, “Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins wins race for Alaska governor, replaces a Republican” (2026-11-14). npr.org/2026/11/14/g-s1-151719/midterms-alaska-governor-krei
2. NBC News, “Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins wins the Alaska governor's race” (2026-11-14). nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/jonathan-kreiss-tomkins-d

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