Former Alaska Governors and Sen. Murkowski Cross Party Lines to Endorse Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins for Governor
Three former Alaska governors and a sitting U.S. senator are crossing traditional party boundaries to back Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins in a crowded gubernatorial race, setting up a high-stakes clash over fiscal policy just weeks before the November 3 general election. The unusual bipartisan coalition was detailed in reports published by the Juneau Independent.
Democrat Tony Knowles, Republican Frank Murkowski, and independent Bill Walker announced their endorsement of Kreiss-Tomkins on Tuesday, joining U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who released her own statement of support the same day. The group’s backing pits a seasoned bipartisan legislative record against three Republican challengers on the ranked-choice ballot: business owner Bernadette Wilson, former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson, and former Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor.
The Fiscal Math Behind a Bipartisan Coalition
The unusual alignment of former chief executives stems from mounting anxiety over the state’s budget trajectory. Bill Walker, who served as governor from 2014 to 2018 after winning election as an independent, pointed directly to fiscal calculations as the driving force behind his choice. As Walker told the Juneau Independent on Tuesday, “I thought they’re not talking about any of the fiscal issues at all. JKT talks about being the math candidate, and I believe in math and we’ve got a math problem.”
“Our future is too important to be hamstrung by partisan divisions. Jonathan understands that governing requires listening to people with different perspectives and finding common ground to solve the problems all of us face,” U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said in a prepared statement distributed by the Kreiss-Tomkins campaign.
In a joint letter published Tuesday by the Juneau Independent, Knowles, Frank Murkowski, and Walker acknowledged their varied political pasts. “We come from different political backgrounds, have different perspectives, and have not always agreed on issues facing our state,” the trio wrote. Despite those past disagreements, they united behind Kreiss-Tomkins’ pledges to stabilize public education funding, balance fisheries and infrastructure priorities, and secure constitutional protections for the Alaska Permanent Fund.
Walker added that during Kreiss-Tomkins’ tenure as a state legislator representing Sitka from 2013 to 2022, the Democrat stood out as an aggressive, pragmatic problem-solver. “He was a get-the-job-done kind of guy and that’s what we need now,” Walker said.
🚨 U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski endorsed Democratic candidate Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins for Alaska governor on Tuesday, calling the former Sitka lawmaker a young Alaskan with the perspective the state needs.“I am announcing my endorsement of Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins,” Murkowski told… pic.twitter.com/Ye9k41Gg2j
Republican Challengers Push Back Against New Taxes
The endorsement wave quickly drew sharp rebukes from the conservative wing of the gubernatorial field. Bernadette Wilson, viewed in recent polls and election ratings as the primary challenger to Kreiss-Tomkins, dismissed the former governors’ support through a campaign statement.
“It doesn’t matter who has endorsed ‘Just Keep Taxing’ JKT — Alaskans are well aware that he wants an income tax, that he voted to double the gas tax and that he does not believe the full PFD belongs to the people,” Wilson’s statement argued.
Treg Taylor echoed those concerns in his own campaign response, criticizing both the former governors and Senator Murkowski. “Under their leadership, Alaskans experienced either increased taxes or reduced PFD’s,” Taylor said of Knowles and Walker. Turning to the federal delegation, Taylor added, “What is particularly disappointing is Senator Lisa Murkowski’s decision to cross party lines and endorse a Democrat for governor. Alaskans deserve leadership that protects their PFDs, respects their hard-earned money, and prioritizes fiscal responsibility over additional taxation.”
Bronson’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment from the Juneau Independent on Tuesday afternoon.
Breaking News: Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) endorses Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins in Alaska’s governor’s race“I am announcing my endorsement of Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins,” Murkowski told Rebecca Palsha on Tuesday. “JKT is young Alaskan with a view and a perspective that I…”
Shifting Dynamics in Alaska’s Political History
Knowles governed from 1994 to 2002, Frank Murkowski followed from 2002 to 2006, and Walker served from 2014 to 2018. Meanwhile, two other governors from that broader era—Republicans Sarah Palin and Sean Parnell—have remained neutral in this year’s race. Current Mike Dunleavy, term-limited after serving two consecutive terms, has likewise withheld his endorsement.
With ballots set to be decided under Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system on November 3, the debate over state revenues, permanent fund dividends, and energy costs remains central to the final stretch of the campaign.
