Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins elected governor of Alaska

Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins won the Alaska gubernatorial race, NBC News projects, returning control of the office to Republicans.

Kreiss-Tomkins’ victory marks the latest victory for Democrats at the state level in this year’s elections. The party will hold 30 governorships next year after transferring control in six states.

At 37, Kreiss-Tomkins will be the youngest governor in Alaska history and next year he will be the nation’s youngest sitting governor. Kreiss-Tomkins, a former state lawmaker, beat three Republicans in the ballot to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy.

In Alaska, the top four vote-getters in the primary, regardless of party, advance to the general election, where ranked-choice voting is used. Kreiss-Tomkins received the majority of votes in the first round, so the ranked choice aspect did not come into play in the race.

Former state Sen. Tom Begich, a Democrat, finished second in the August primary, just behind Kreiss-Tomkins. But he dropped out of the race soon after to consolidate Democratic support behind Kreiss-Tomkins.

The three Republican candidates on the November ballot were Anchorage businesswoman Bernadette Wilson, former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson and former state Attorney General Treg Taylor. Wilson, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump, finished far behind.

Kreiss-Tomkins, who is often called JKT in the state, gained bipartisan support during her campaign. Most notably, he was endorsed by Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski a week before Election Day. “JKT is a young Alaskan with a point of view and perspective that I think Alaska needs right now — a freshness of energy, a common-sense guy who has a known ability to work together,” Murkowski said in an interview with NBC affiliate KTUU of Anchorage.

Kreiss-Tomkins campaigned on increasing funding for public schools, reducing energy costs, expanding Medicaid and protecting Alaska’s fisheries.

He also called for a moratorium on all new data centers until the state legislature can pass regulations, and said he would not allow direct or indirect subsidies to data centers for electricity costs.