Senator Lisa Murkowski endorsed the Democratic candidate for governor in Alaska on Tuesday, a move that happens just one week before Election Day. This decision marks a significant break from her party as she chooses to back Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins instead of the Republican contenders on the ballot. Among those GOP candidates is Bernadette Wilson, who currently has the endorsement of President Donald Trump.
Murkowski expressed her reasoning during an interview with the Anchorage station KTUU. as reported by NBC News. She stated that she finds the three Republican candidates on the ballot to be too partisan for the position. The state uses ranked-choice voting. Murkowski emphasized that the state needs a leader who is willing to cooperate with the legislature. She said, “We need a governor who’s going to work with the Legislature,” and added, “That has got to happen for the delegation to be successful back in Washington, D.C.”
Regarding her choice of candidate, Murkowski spoke highly of the former state lawmaker. She said, “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 responded to the endorsement by expressing his gratitude for her support
Kreiss-Tomkins mentioned that he has held several conversations with the senator as his campaign moved forward. He noted, “I have a lot of respect for Lisa, her integrity. 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.” He continued, “And I’m very grateful that she wanted to step up and be a part of the coalition that we’re building.”
The race to replace the term-limited Governor Mike Dunleavy is crowded. Kreiss-Tomkins is running against former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson, former state Attorney General Treg Taylor, and Wilson. While President Trump won Alaska in 2016, 2020, and 2024, the race is currently leaning Democratic according to the NBC News Decision Desk.
Wilson did not take the endorsement well. She released a statement that was dismissive of the senator’s choice. She said, “Given that Senator Lisa Murkowski abandoned Alaska values a long time ago, I am not surprised that she has endorsed ‘Just Keep Taxing’ JKT.” Wilson also claimed that the candidate’s “allegiance lies with extreme socialists hellbent on fighting President Trump to the detriment of everyday Alaskans.”
This endorsement is not the only point of friction between Murkowski and the President recently. Last week, the Trump administration filed a lawsuit against election officials in Alaska. The suit argued that the presence of Dan J. Sullivan Jr. on the ballot might confuse voters who intended to support the re-election of Senator Dan S. Sullivan.
Murkowski took to X to criticize this legal action. She wrote, “Alaskans don’t need any help voting for their preferred candidates, and the State of Alaska has already handled this by clearly distinguishing the candidates on this year’s ballot.”
President Trump responded to her comments the following day on social media, where he labeled her the “Republicans’ Worst Senator, by far.” Murkowski is not up for re-election until 2028, though she has already endorsed Senator Dan S. Sullivan for his current race. That contest also features a Democratic candidate named Mary Peltola.
Published: Oct 28, 2026 04:45 pm