Murkowski endorses Democrat Kreiss-Tomkins

Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski endorsed Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins for governor Tuesday, three days after President Donald Trump called her "a disgrace to Alaska and our country."

"Our future is too important to be hamstrung by partisan divisions," Murkowski said in a statement the Kreiss-Tomkins campaign posted. "I encourage Alaskans of every political stripe, whether Republicans, independents, or Democrats, to take a close look at Jonathan and Zac. Alaska needs leaders who will put our state first, and I'm proud to support them."

In 2010, Murkowski lost the Republican primary and won the general election as a write-in candidate. In 2022, she won reelection under ranked-choice voting over Republican Kelly Tshibaka.

Nonpartisan and undeclared voters made up about 63% of Alaska's registered voters as of early September, according to the Division of Elections.

She has crossed party lines before, endorsing Democrat Mary Peltola for the U.S. House in 2022 and 2024. In January, she endorsed Sen. Dan Sullivan, a fellow Republican whom Peltola is now challenging, for reelection.

Bernadette Wilson, a Republican candidate for governor, said Murkowski "abandoned Alaska values a long time ago." Wilson wrote that she "actively campaigned against Senator Murkowski in 2010" and that as governor she would "actively work to unseat the worst 'Republican' senator in the country." Murkowski is next up for reelection in 2028.

Wilson also called Kreiss-Tomkins "Just Keep Taxing" JKT and said he supports an income tax and doesn't support a full dividend. At a September forum, Kreiss-Tomkins proposed applying the corporate income tax consistently across major oil producers, taxing online sales and discussing broader-based revenue with the Legislature, and called for a dividend that does not overdraw the Permanent Fund.

"What is particularly disappointing is Senator Lisa Murkowski's decision to cross party lines and endorse a Democrat for governor," Republican Treg Taylor wrote in a Facebook post. Alaskans deserve leadership that "prioritizes fiscal responsibility over additional taxation," he wrote.

"Senator Murkowski is entitled to endorse whoever she chooses, just as President Trump is. That is her decision to make," Dave Bronson, another Republican in the race, said in a Facebook post. "My loyalty, however, remains with the people of Alaska not any political figure or endorsement."

The Kreiss-Tomkins campaign listed Murkowski with other recent supporters, including Republican former legislators Jesse Sumner, Gary Wilken, Rick Halford and Lesil McGuire, and former Govs. Frank Murkowski, the senator's father, and Bill Walker.

Early voting began Oct. 19. On Nov. 3, voters will rank the candidates for governor and decide Ballot Measure 2, which would repeal ranked-choice voting.