U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican, on Tuesday endorsed Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins in Alaska’s open race for governor, urging “Alaskans of every political stripe” to consider supporting him.
The endorsement came in a news release distributed by the Kreiss-Tomkins campaign Tuesday afternoon. Murkowski praised the former state representative from Sitka for emphasizing bipartisanship, according to reports.
“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.”
Alaska’s News Source first reported the endorsement earlier Tuesday. Kreiss-Tomkins leads three Republican opponents in polling, according to the article. The four candidates are competing to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy.
Kreiss-Tomkins has centered his campaign on cross-party cooperation. He served for a decade in the state House, representing a relatively conservative district, and has said he would appoint Republicans and independents alongside Democrats to his cabinet.
“I’m honored to have Senator Murkowski’s support,” Kreiss-Tomkins said in the news release. “Alaskans deserve a government that can work through disagreements and make progress on the issues that matter.”
Murkowski has previously backed candidates outside her party. In 2024, she endorsed Democrat Mary Peltola’s reelection bid for the U.S. House. This year, she backed Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan for reelection as Peltola challenged him.
Kreiss-Tomkins has also received support from other Republicans, including former state legislators and former Gov. Frank Murkowski, Lisa Murkowski’s father. Frank Murkowski endorsed him in an Anchorage Daily News opinion piece co-written with independent former Gov. Bill Walker and former Democratic Gov. Tony Knowles.
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