Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski brought a surprise endorsement to Alaska’s gubernatorial race Tuesday: Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins.
In a Kreiss-Tomkins campaign press release sent to reporters Tuesday afternoon, Murkowski praised the former Sitka state lawmaker’s commitment to bipartisanship. She encouraged “Alaskans of all political stripes” to consider supporting the former state lawmaker from Sitka.
“Our future is too important to be paralyzed by partisan divisions,” Murkowski said. “Jonathan understands that governing requires listening to people with different viewpoints and finding common ground to solve the problems we all face. »
The Alaska News Source reported the approval earlier Tuesday.
Polls give Kreiss-Tomkins 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 her campaign. He represented a relatively conservative House district in the Legislature for a decade. He has pledged to fill his cabinet with Republicans and independents in addition to Democrats.
“I am honored to have the support of Senator Murkowski,” Kreiss-Tomkins said in the press release. “Alaskans deserve a government that can overcome disagreement and make progress on the issues that matter. »
Murkowski also has a reputation for crossing partisan lines. Murkowski previously supported Democrat Mary Peltola in 2024 as she ran for reelection to the U.S. House of Representatives. This year, Murkowski supported Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan in his re-election campaign despite Peltola’s challenge.
Murkowski is far from the only Republican elected official to support Kreiss-Tomkins. He also gained support from various former Republican lawmakers and Sen. Murkowski’s father, former Gov. Frank Murkowski. The elder Murkowski endorsed Kreiss-Tomkins in an Anchorage Daily News op-ed co-written with two other former governors: independent Bill Walker and Democrat Tony Knowles.
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