A Democrat is carrying out a rather strong campaign for the office of Alaska governor while three Republicans are still in the race. A well-known observer of the state's politics has even described the Republican candidates as "a bunch of political losers".
In the August open primary, 37-year-old former state Representative Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins took first place. He is the sole Democrat among the four candidates who will be running in November. All of the Republican candidates, Bernadette Wilson, Dave Bronson, and Treg Taylor, have remained in the race, which means that voters in the Republican Party have three choices available to them under Alaska's ranked-choice voting system.
This unusual lineup gives Kreiss-Tomkins the chance to become the first Democrat elected governor of Alaska since Tony Knowles, who secured a second term in 1998 and retired in 2002.
Larry Persily, who has for a long time been an observer of Alaska politics and who previously owned the Wrangell Sentinel as well as worked as an editorial page editor at the Anchorage Daily News, said to The Guardian that Kreiss-Tomkins' stance is shaped by both his campaign and national politics.
Persily said that the Republicans “just put up a bunch of political losers.” A recent bipartisan AARP survey shows why Republicans are worried.
Kreiss-Tomkins received 40 percent of the first-preference votes, whereas Wilson, Bronson, and Taylor collectively obtained 41 percent. The results from the ranked-choice voting process indicated that Kreiss-Tomkins defeated Wilson, the leading Republican, by a margin of 10 points.
Wilson has requested that both Bronson and Taylor should withdraw so that the Republicans may unite behind her, but neither of them has agreed. Bronson maintains that the Republicans can win if conservative voters rank all of the GOP candidates rather than just selecting a first choice.
The race is taking place in a state which President Donald Trump won by 13 points in 2024; Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy is retiring after serving two terms, and the voters also dislike the state's Permanent Fund Dividend, which is one of the campaign's issues. The amount for the 2026 payment will be $1,000 together with $200 for energy relief.
Kreiss-Tomkins has directed his campaign towards getting face-to-face with people. This summer he covered hundreds of miles by boat along the Yukon River, visiting small villages which candidates usually do not go to. He has made education and reducing daily costs the key elements of his campaign.
The Republicans have also encountered their own set of difficulties. Wilson came third in the primary, coming after Kreiss-Tomkins and the Democrat Tom Begich. Begich then withdrew from the race and backed Kreiss-Tomkins, which enabled Taylor to enter the final four along with Wilson and Bronson.
Since all three Republicans are still appearing on the November ballot, the contest will show whether GOP voters rank all of their favored candidates or whether Kreiss-Tomkins will be able to turn his primary victory into a rare Democratic win in Alaska.