Murkowski endorses Democrat Kreiss-Tomkins for Alaska governor over Trump-backed Wilson

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican, endorsed Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins for Alaska governor on Tuesday, a week before the Nov. 3 midterm election. She passed over three Republicans in the race, including Bernadette Wilson, who has President Donald Trump's endorsement ¹².

Murkowski, a frequent critic of Trump among Senate Republicans, told NBC affiliate KTUU of Anchorage that Kreiss-Tomkins is "a young Alaskan with a view and a perspective that I think Alaska needs right now — a freshness of energy, a commonsense guy who has a known ability to be working together" ¹.

She said the three Republican candidates on the ballot are too partisan. "We need a governor who's going to work with the Legislature," she said. "That has got to happen for the delegation to be successful back in Washington, D.C." ¹.

In a statement released by the Kreiss-Tomkins campaign, Murkowski said: "Our future is too important to be hamstrung by partisan divisions" ². She also criticized outgoing Gov. Mike Dunleavy's administration for leaving federal money on the table, saying "the state has failed with it" ².

From Channel GOPPeltola: Tariffs doubled Alaska air taxi's parts billMary Peltola · 141 plays · captioned, with the source named

JKT is a young Alaskan with a view and a perspective that I think Alaska needs right now — a freshness of energy, a commonsense guy who has a known ability to be working together

Kreiss-Tomkins, a former state lawmaker who represented Sitka and surrounding communities in the state House for a decade, said he was grateful. "I have a lot of respect for Lisa, her integrity," he told KTUU. "I think she's worked across the aisle in Congress, which is a quality I really admire and hope to live up to if I'm elected governor" ¹.

Wilson fired back in a statement, saying that "given that Senator Lisa Murkowski abandoned Alaska values a long time ago, I am not surprised that she has endorsed 'Just Keep Taxing' JKT." She argued his "allegiance lies with extreme socialists hellbent on fighting President Trump to the detriment of everyday Alaskans" ¹.

The numbers in the race

A September New York Times/Siena poll found Kreiss-Tomkins leading with 40 percent support among likely voters. Wilson followed at 20 percent, former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson at 15 percent and former Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor at 11 percent ². Alaska uses ranked choice voting, and Trump has urged Bronson and Taylor to drop out to avoid splitting the Republican vote ².

The NBC News Decision Desk rates the governor's race as leaning Democratic, in a state Trump won in 2016, 2020 and 2024 ¹. The race is to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Mike Dunleavy ¹.

Murkowski, who is not up for re-election until 2028, has crossed party lines before: she endorsed former Rep. Mary Peltola, a Democrat, in her unsuccessful 2024 reelection bid. This year she is backing GOP Sen. Dan S. Sullivan against Peltola ¹².

Trump has repeatedly attacked Murkowski, calling her the "Republicans' Worst Senator" and a "DISGRACE to Alaska and our Country" in a recent Truth Social post ². Last week the Trump administration sued Alaska election officials over the ballot listing of a candidate named Dan J. Sullivan Jr. Murkowski criticized the suit, writing on X that "Alaskans don't need any help voting for their preferred candidates" ¹.

That matters because a Republican senator in a state Trump carried three times is publicly backing a Democrat days before the vote. The pattern is a familiar one for Murkowski, but the timing — with control of Congress on the line — puts her break with the president's endorsed candidate in front of Alaska voters as they fill out ballots.

The Record

1. Oct 1, 2026Trump endorsed Bernadette Wilson for Alaska governor this month and urged the other Republican candidates to drop out ².
2. Oct 27, 2026Murkowski endorsed Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins for Alaska governor ¹².

Sources

1. NBC News, “GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski endorses Democratic candidate in Alaska governor’s race” (2026-10-28). nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/lisa-murkowski-endorses-d
2. The Hill, “Murkowski backs Alaska Democrat for governor” (2026-10-28). thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6176771-murkowski-endorses-dem

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