Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins wins Alaska governor with over 50% of first-choice votes

Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins has won the race for governor of Alaska, finishing above 50% of first-choice votes and avoiding a ranked-choice runoff, according to the Alaska Beacon. AP, NPR, NBC News, The New York Times and The Guardian have all reported the win. AP's headline calls him the first Democrat elected governor of Alaska since 1998.

The numbers

Results are not final. The Alaska Division of Elections is expected to post preliminary final results on Nov. 18 and certify on Nov. 25, the Beacon reports. As of the end of Thursday, with 256,823 first-choice votes counted:

Alaska uses ranked-choice voting: if no one clears 50% of first choices, the last-place candidate is eliminated and those votes move to voters' next choices until two remain. Here no redistribution was needed. The Beacon says preliminary results showed he would have won a runoff anyway.

The Republican split

Three Republicans stayed on the ballot against one Democrat. Wilson, who finished second, told the Beacon that Republican donors stayed away or limited their financial help, and that the party and its supporters failed to consolidate behind one candidate. Bronson posted a statement congratulating the governor-elect and saying Alaskans "have made their choice." The Beacon reports that Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a Republican, is term-limited, and that party leaders urged voters to "rank the red" rather than endorse one candidate.

What comes next

• Swearing-in: the state constitution requires it at noon on Dec. 7, the Beacon says.
• Budget: Dec. 15 is the statutory deadline for the new governor to present a draft budget. In 2018, the Beacon notes, Dunleavy submitted a lightly modified version of his predecessor's plan first and unveiled his own austerity proposal in February.
• Legislature: the Beacon reports that Kreiss-Tomkins will work with predominantly Democratic coalitions in the Legislature, with at least 24 House members and a Senate coalition of at least 11.

He is 37, the Beacon says, and will be the youngest governor in state history. He said he would announce a transition team early next week.

Why business owners should care

Alaska's first budget under new leadership is the document that sets state spending, services and the money that reaches local contractors and employers, so the Dec. 15 draft is the next thing to watch. We have not seen it, and we are not predicting its contents. Alaskans also face some of the highest fuel costs in the country; see our report on rural Alaska fuel prices. Separately, the state's U.S. Senate race remained uncalled in the coverage we saw; here is our earlier report.

Sources: Alaska Beacon, Nov. 13, 2026; headlines from AP, NPR, NBC News, The New York Times and The Guardian. Figures are preliminary until certification. Photo: Gillfoto / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.