Murkowski and Murkowski endorse Alaska’s Democratic governor candidate

Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski and her father, Republican former Sen. Frank Murkowski said Tuesday that they are endorsing the election of Democratic candidate for governor Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins.

Kreiss-Tomkins and three Republicans — Dave Bronson, Treg Taylor, and Bernadette Wilson — are running to replace incumbent Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who is term-limited and cannot run for re-election this year.

Polling indicates Kreiss-Tomkins, widely known as JKT, has a significant lead, in part because Republican votes are being split among three candidates.

Lisa Murkowski announced her endorsement in an interview with KTUU-TV on Tuesday afternoon.

“JKT is a young Alaskan with a view and a perspective that I think Alaska needs right now,” Murkowski told reporter Rebecca Palsha.

Murkowski has a reputation for bipartisanship in the U.S. Senate and has endorsed the re-election of her colleague, Republican U.S. Sen. Dan S. Sullivan. 

Frank Murkowski, who served as one of Alaska’s two U.S. senators before being elected governor in 2002 — whereupon he appointed his daughter, Lisa, to his vacated Senate seat — joined former Democratic Gov. Tony Knowles and former independent Gov. Bill Walker in endorsing Kreiss-Tomkins via an Anchorage Daily News op-ed published Tuesday.

“We come from different political backgrounds, have different perspectives and have not always agreed on issues facing our state,” the three men said. “But we share a deep commitment to Alaska and its future. That is why we are coming together to support Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins for governor.”

Former Republican Gov. Sarah Palin has not endorsed any of the candidates in this year’s governor race, nor has former Republican Gov. Sean Parnell.

President Donald Trump endorsed Wilson on Oct. 13 during a rally in Wasilla. Speaking at that rally, Dunleavy declined to endorse any specific candidate but said Republican voters should rank all three Republican candidates.

“You need to get out and vote for your governor candidates. There are three of them. I need you to vote for each one of them. Ranked choice voting has foisted this on our shoulders, and the only way we’re going to win is if we all vote for the Republican candidates for governor, and that’s very important,” Dunleavy said.