Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins leading in Alaska’s gubernatorial race in early results

This article is developing and will be updated.

Alaska is on course to have its first Democratic governor since Tony Knowles left office almost a quarter-century ago.

According to incomplete, preliminary results published Tuesday night by the Alaska Division of Elections, Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins had 55.3% of the vote among four people competing to replace Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who is term-limited and unable to run for re-election this year. 

Only 45 of 400 precincts were reporting results from Election Day, and tens of thousands of early and absentee votes remain to be counted in coming days.

Kreiss-Tomkins and three Republicans — Bernadette Wilson, Dave Bronson and Treg Taylor — advanced from an August primary election that winnowed the field of candidates from 17 to four.

Wilson, the leading Republican candidate, received the endorsement of President Donald Trump during an October rally in Wasilla. She has 27.5% of the vote according to the latest update, with Bronson at 10.8% and Taylor at 6.2%. 

Earlier in the day, Kreiss-Tomkins spoke with reporters before casting his ballot in his home precinct at the University of Alaska Anchorage Student Union on Tuesday morning. 

“We’re really proud of the campaign that we’ve built — a lot of hard work, very much a team effort across Alaska,” he said. “No matter the outcome, I feel great about the process to get here.”

After the August primary, the second Democratic finalist, former state Sen. Tom Begich, withdrew from the race in order to consolidate Democratic support behind Kreiss-Tomkins.

That withdrawal promoted former Attorney General Taylor into the final four, but Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom disqualified him for failing to complete a financial disclosure on time. Days later, Dahlstrom reversed her decision, an act that restored Taylor’s candidacy.

Between August and Election Day, the four finalists for governor campaigned across the state and participated in more than a dozen forums and debates. While not every candidate participated in every event, voters had ample opportunity to compare the four.

He said after 10 months of campaigning and speaking with thousands of Alaskans his No. 1 takeaway was how difficult it is for many Alaskans to get by. He said he’s made a “very, very long list” of issues he wants to tackle, and he’s committed to work across partisan divides for Alaskans, including with the Trump administration.  “I’m excited to work with anyone and everyone — Trump administration to the House and Senate and the Legislature to all other partners in and out of government, for I mean potentially some really big wins for Alaska.”