Murkowski Endorses Democrat Kreiss-Tomkins for Alaska Governor Over Trump-Backed Wilson

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska, endorsed Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins for governor on Tuesday, one week before Election Day, over Bernadette Wilson, the candidate President Donald Trump has endorsed. Murkowski told Alaska News Source and KTUU that she has found fault with the administration of term-limited Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy, saying it left federal money on the table and that the state failed to use opportunities she had worked to bring in. She called Kreiss-Tomkins a young Alaskan with a perspective the state needs and said Alaska needs a governor who will work with the legislature so its congressional delegation can succeed in Washington.

Kreiss-Tomkins is the only Democrat on the ranked-choice ballot, facing three Republicans: Wilson, former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson and former state Attorney General Treg Taylor. One article said he was already favored, partly because the Republican vote is split. Murkowski previously endorsed Democrat Mary Peltola for the House in 2022 and 2024. One article also said she denounced a Justice Department lawsuit seeking to block Alaska from certifying its election, though the excerpt did not give the full details.

Talking Points Memo and Raw Story, on the left, treat the endorsement as pre-election pushback against Trump. TPM places Murkowski alongside Sen. Susan Collins, noting that both often criticize Trump but vote for his policies when it counts. It calls her denunciation of the DOJ lawsuit her more significant move. Raw Story's headline says she torpedoed Trump's pick and notes her repeated clashes with him. The Daily Wire, on the right, frames the endorsement as a betrayal, saying she stuck a knife in her party's back as Republicans fight for their future in the midterms. It stresses the stakes for the GOP, including a competitive race for Sen. Dan Sullivan, and gives space to Kreiss-Tomkins saying he would model himself on her. Both sides quote her criticism of Dunleavy; the right does not mention the DOJ lawsuit. Alternative outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing.