Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski made a surprise endorsement Tuesday in the Alaska governor’s race: Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins.
In a news release from Kreiss-Tomkins’ campaign emailed to reporters Tuesday afternoon, Murkowski commended the former Sitka state lawmaker’s commitment to bipartisanship. She encouraged “Alaskans of every political stripe” to consider backing him.
“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 reported the endorsement earlier Tuesday.
Polls show Kreiss-Tomkins with a lead over three Republicans in the four-way race to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy.
Kreiss-Tomkins has made bipartisan cooperation a centerpiece of his campaign. He represented a relatively conservative state House district in the Legislature for a decade. He’s pledged to fill his cabinet with Republicans and independents in addition to Democrats.
“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 also has a reputation for crossing party lines. Murkowski previously endorsed Democrat Mary Peltola in 2024 as she ran for reelection to the U.S. House. This year, Murkowski endorsed Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan in his reelection campaign despite a challenge from Peltola.
Kreiss-Tomkins’ Republican opponents each issued statements reacting to Murkowski’s endorsement of the Democratic frontrunner.
The highest-polling Republican in the governor’s race, small business owner Bernadette Wilson, said she was “not surprised” Murkowski endorsed Kreiss-Tomkins. Wilson, who co-chaired the conservative Joe Miller’s campaign against Murkowski in 2010 and was endorsed by President Trump earlier this month, said she’d oppose the senator’s reelection campaign in 2028.
“As Governor, I will not be a sitting duck, and I can assure you, I will actively work to unseat the worst ‘Republican’ senator in the country,” Wilson said on social media.
Former state Attorney General Treg Taylor said Murkowski’s cross-party endorsement was “disappointing.”
“Alaskans deserve leadership that protects their PFDs , respects their hard-earned money, and prioritizes fiscal responsibility over additional taxation,” Taylor said. “As your Governor, I will do just that!”
Dave Bronson, the former mayor of Anchorage, said Murkowski was “entitled to endorse whoever she chooses, just as President Trump is.”
“I respect that voters will make their own decisions, and I’ll keep making my case directly to them: through my experience, my record of service, and my commitment to Alaska’s future,” he said.
Murkowski is far from the only elected Republican to back Kreiss-Tomkins. He’s also won support from a variety of former Republican state legislators and Sen. Murkowski’s father, former Gov. Frank Murkowski. The elder Murkowski endorsed Kreiss-Tomkins in an Anchorage Daily News op-ed coauthored with two other former governors: independent Bill Walker and Democrat Tony Knowles.
This story has been updated.
