Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski Endorses Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins in Alaska Governor’s Race

Republican U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski announced a surprise endorsement Tuesday in the Alaska governor’s race, throwing her support behind Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins. The announcement came through a campaign news release emailed to reporters on Tuesday afternoon, in which Murkowski commended the former Sitka state lawmaker’s dedication to bipartisanship and urged voters of all political affiliations to consider supporting him.

“Our future is too important to be hamstrung by partisan divisions,” Murkowski stated in the release, emphasizing that effective governance requires listening to diverse perspectives and finding common ground.

Kreiss-Tomkins enters the endorsement with a lead in public polls across a four-way race to succeed term-limited Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy. The race features three Republican contenders alongside Kreiss-Tomkins. Throughout his campaign, the former state legislator has centered his platform on bipartisan cooperation, drawing on his decade-long experience representing a relatively conservative state House district. He has publicly pledged to construct a diverse cabinet that includes Republicans and independents alongside Democrats.

“I’m honored to have Senator Murkowski’s support,” Kreiss-Tomkins said in response to the announcement. “Alaskans deserve a government that can work through disagreements and make progress on the issues that matter.”

Murkowski has a well-established history of crossing party lines in electoral politics. In 2024, she endorsed Democrat Mary Peltola during her reelection bid for the U.S. House of Representatives. However, Murkowski’s cross-party support does not follow a single pattern; this year, she also endorsed fellow Republican U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan in his reelection campaign despite a challenge from Peltola.

Murkowski is not the only prominent Republican figure to cross party lines to support the Democratic nominee. Kreiss-Tomkins has also secured endorsements from several former Republican state legislators, as well as the senator’s father, former Republican Governor Frank Murkowski. The elder Murkowski previously voiced his support in an op-ed published by the Anchorage Daily News, which he coauthored alongside two other former governors: independent Bill Walker and Democrat Tony Knowles.