Key facts
- Kreiss-Tomkins, 37, is a former Alaska state lawmaker who left the state House three years before the race.
- Alaska had not elected a Democratic governor since 1998, according to US media.
- Democrats would hold 30 state governorships next year after the November 3 midterms, per the projections.
- Kreiss-Tomkins campaigned on affordability, full public school funding and regulating data center construction.
- He said his campaign had more than 10,000 donors and that he wanted a Cabinet spanning parties.
Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins has been projected the winner of Alaska's governor race by the Associated Press and NBC News, in a report published November 14, 2026. He defeated three Republicans, one of them backed by US President Donald Trump, and his win would give Democrats 30 state governorships next year following the November 3 midterm elections.
Alaska has not elected a Democratic governor since 1998, according to US media. Kreiss-Tomkins, 37, is a former state lawmaker who left the state House three years before the race and traveled across Alaska to build his coalition.
He campaigned on reducing the cost of living, full funding for public schools and regulating data center construction, and he called for a moratorium on new data centers until state lawmakers pass rules for their development. He also called for all oil and gas producers to pay corporate income tax.
Republican US Senator Lisa Murkowski endorsed Kreiss-Tomkins a week before the election, saying he "understands that governing requires listening to people with different perspectives and finding common ground to solve the problems all of us face." Three former governors, Democrat Tony Knowles, independent Bill Walker and Republican Frank Murkowski, also endorsed him, CBS News reported.
In a statement declaring victory on Friday, November 13, Kreiss-Tomkins said voters wanted change and "a government that works across party lines to move Alaska forward." He said his campaign had more than 10,000 donors and that he wanted a Cabinet including Republicans, Democrats and independents. He said Alaska had become "broken" under eight years of outgoing Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy and cited cuts to the state ferry system, a key mode of transport for southeast Alaska communities without road connections.