Democratic candidate Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins has declared victory in Alaska's gubernatorial election after results showed him with more than 50 percent of first-choice votes in the state's ranked-choice system. CNN called the race Thursday night, though the Associated Press has not yet done so and the Alaska Division of Elections is not scheduled to certify the result until Nov. 25. Preliminary final results are expected Nov. 18.
Kreiss-Tomkins, 37, will be the youngest governor in state history and the first Democrat to hold the office since Tony Knowles left in 2002. He was the lone Democrat in a field of four candidates seeking to replace Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who was term-limited and could not run for re-election.
Republican candidate Dave Bronson, who finished third with 13.7 percent of first-choice votes, posted a statement on his campaign Facebook page congratulating Kreiss-Tomkins. "Alaskans have made their choice, and I respect their decision. It was a pleasure campaigning against him. I wish him all the success," Bronson said.
Bernadette Wilson, the second-place Republican with 28.7 percent, told the Alaska Beacon by phone that while she was disappointed, the trajectory since Election Day was not a surprise. “JKT was on top on election night, on top in the first round. He's gonna be your governor,” she said. Wilson noted that she and Kreiss-Tomkins were both born in Alaska and that she does not view him as an outsider.
Kreiss-Tomkins expressed gratitude for the team effort. "It was a team effort every step of the way, and we always believed we could (win)," he said. "So it's really really gratifying to have that official race call, or whatever CNN calls it, to kind of put some punctuation on the sentence."
Wilson attributed the Republican loss to a failure to consolidate support. With three Republican candidates on the ballot, she said donors and independent expenditure groups held back. “The reality is, the Republican Party, the donors, you know, all of the conservative groups, they had the ability to suck the oxygen out of the room, even if other candidates do not want to withdraw,” Wilson said. She urged conservatives to start immediately thinking about the 2028 U.S. Senate race, when Sen. Lisa Murkowski is up for re-election.
Kreiss-Tomkins said he would announce his transition team early next week and that he was thinking about a budget for next year. The Alaska constitution requires the governor to be sworn in Dec. 7, and a draft budget is due by Dec. 15. “We're thinking about the budget next year, we're thinking about building an administration and we're thinking about a governing agenda,” he said.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Alaska elects its first Democratic governor in 24 years and the youngest in state history, marking a significant shift in a state that has trended Republican.
- Kreiss-Tomkins' victory with a majority of first-choice votes demonstrates the potential for ranked-choice voting to produce a win for a Democrat in a conservative state.
- The compressed transition timeline (swearing-in Dec. 7, budget draft Dec. 15) will test the new administration's ability to prepare quickly.
Background
Alaska uses a top-four primary and ranked-choice general election, where a candidate can win outright by securing more than 50% of first-choice votes. The 2026 gubernatorial race saw three Republican candidates splitting votes against the lone Democrat. Incumbent Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy was term-limited, leaving an open seat. Kreiss-Tomkins, a state representative, emerged from a crowded primary that included 17 candidates.
Key Perspectives
Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins: Called the win a "team effort" and emphasized a problem-solving approach to governing, with plans to announce a transition team and work on the state budget.
Dave Bronson: Conceded and congratulated Kreiss-Tomkins, saying Alaskans made their choice and he respects the decision.
Bernadette Wilson: Conceded but voiced disappointment, attributing the loss to Republican failure to consolidate support and donors withholding funds. She called on conservatives to organize early for the 2028 Senate race.
What to Watch
- The Alaska Division of Elections' certification of results on Nov. 25 and any residual ballot counting before then.
- Kreiss-Tomkins' transition team announcement and the initial policy signals from his administration.
- The Dec. 15 budget deadline and whether the new governor introduces major fiscal changes.
- Republican response to Wilson's call for early consolidation ahead of 2028, especially in the Senate primary.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 11 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedJonathan Kreiss-Tomkins won Alaska’s governor’s race, and his Republican opponents conceded.Alaska Beacon: “JKT tops 50% of first-choice votes for Alaska governor, Republican opponents concede.”
- SupportedKreiss-Tomkins secured more than 50% of the first-choice votes in the ranked-choice election.Alaska Beacon: “In results posted Thursday night by the Alaska Division of Elections, Kreiss-Tomkins had more than 50% of the first-choice votes for governor in this year’s election, putting him above the threshold for a ranked choice runoff.”
- SupportedCNN called the race Thursday night, while the Associated Press had not called it.Alaska Beacon: “CNN declared him the winner against three Republican challengers on Thursday night. The Associated Press has not yet called the race”
- SupportedPreliminary final results are expected Nov. 18, and certification is scheduled for Nov. 25.Alaska Beacon: “the Alaska Division of Elections is not scheduled to certify the result until Nov. 25. Preliminary final results are expected Nov. 18.”
- SupportedDave Bronson said: “Alaskans have made their choice, and I respect their decision. It was a pleasure campaigning against him. I wish him all the success.”Alaska Beacon: ““Alaskans have made their choice, and I respect their decision. It was a pleasure campaigning against him. I wish him all the success.””
- SupportedKreiss-Tomkins said: “It was a team effort every step of the way, and we always believed we could (win).”Alaska Beacon: ““It was a team effort every step of the way, and we always believed we could (win),” Kreiss-Tomkins said on Monday.”
- SupportedWilson said: “JKT was on top on election night, on top in the first round. He's gonna be your governor.”Alaska Beacon: ““JKT was on top on election night, on top in the first round. He’s gonna be your governor,” she said.”
- SupportedWilson said Republican groups could have “suck[ed] the oxygen out of the room” even if other candidates did not withdraw.Alaska Beacon: ““The reality is, the Republican Party, the donors, you know, all of the conservative groups, they had the ability to suck the oxygen out of the room, even if other candidates do not want to withdraw,” Wilson said.”
- SupportedKreiss-Tomkins said: “We're thinking about the budget next year, we're thinking about building an administration and we're thinking about a governing agenda.”Alaska Beacon: ““We’re thinking about the budget next year, we’re thinking about building an administration and we’re thinking about a governing agenda, and each of those three things are big things”
- SupportedAt 37, Kreiss-Tomkins will be the youngest governor in state history.Alaska Beacon: “Kreiss-Tomkins, 37, also will be the youngest governor in state history”
- SupportedKreiss-Tomkins will be the first Democrat to hold the office since Tony Knowles left in 2002.Alaska Beacon: “the first Democrat since 2002, when Tony Knowles left office after an eight-year term.”
- Partly supportedThe story attributes to Wilson both donors and independent expenditure groups holding back.Alaska Beacon: “With three options to choose from, Republican donors stayed away or limited their financial help, Wilson said. Independent expenditure groups didn’t participate in the election to the degree that they did in 2022 or 2018, either.”