DGA-backed group spends $601,000 in one day on Alaska's governor's race

A group whose chair works for the Democratic Governors Association spent about $601,000 on a single day in Alaska's governor's race, half supporting Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins and half opposing Republican Bernadette Wilson and her running mate, Michael Shower.

Forward Frontier for JKT reported the Oct. 16 spending Monday to the Alaska Public Offices Commission. Voters choose a governor Nov. 3.

Through Oct. 9, all of the group's spending opposed the three Republican tickets, led by Dave Bronson, Treg Taylor and Wilson, in equal shares, according to an Oct. 19 report. Its spending dated Oct. 13, 14 and 16 was split evenly between supporting Kreiss-Tomkins and opposing Republicans, and the Oct. 16 spending opposed only the Wilson ticket.

Most of the money went to TV ads: Great American Media of St. Louis got $397,644. Three Washington firms got the rest: Watershed Strategy, about $112,700 for digital ads; Global Strategy Group, $70,000 for polling; and Resonance Campaigns, about $20,400 for production.

Two Washington groups gave Forward Frontier $675,000 that day: Democratic Action, $596,000, and the Democratic Governors Association, $79,000. Andrew Whalen, Forward Frontier's chair and treasurer, lists his job as independent expenditure director for the Democratic Governors Association. The report traces the association's share to four companies, including The MCQ Group of Somerville, Massachusetts, which gave $44,000, and NiSource Corporate Services Company, which gave $25,000.

Forward Frontier registered Sept. 23. On Oct. 2 it added "for JKT" to its name in a registration amendment naming Kreiss-Tomkins as a candidate who would get more than a third of its spending.

Its eight spending reports total about $2.8 million, covering spending dated Sept. 29 through Oct. 16. Its 24-hour reports show $4.47 million in gifts through Oct. 23: about $3.29 million from Democratic Action, $729,000 from the governors association and smaller amounts from labor groups including SEIU 775 AK Quality Care Committee and AFSCME.

On the Republican side, Kodiak PAC, funded by the Republican Governors Association, has reported about $1.58 million in spending, split equally among supporting the three Republican tickets and opposing Kreiss-Tomkins and running mate Zac Johnson, according to its amended report and a 24-hour report filed Oct. 23. The Republican Governors Association has given Kodiak PAC $1.76 million.