JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins said Saturday that being the first elected Democratic governor in Alaska for nearly 30 years has special meaning to him, and he attributes his victory to an ambitious campaign that “covered every corner of the state.”
Winning as a statewide Democrat in Alaska can be like “working against gravity,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press. The 37-year-old former state representative, often called JKT, also said he was proud of the “large base of support” he received from Alaskans of all political backgrounds.
Kreiss-Tomkins traveled more than 40,000 miles (64,000 kilometers) within the vast state to introduce herself to voters, including hundreds of miles (kilometers) by snowmobile and boat to visit rural villages, according to her campaign. Most Alaska communities are not connected to the main highway system and are often only accessible by air or water. The campaign said it had more than 10,000 individual donors.
Kreiss-Tomkins defeated three Republicans in the Nov. 3 general election, including Bernadette Wilson. Wilson was endorsed by President Donald Trumpwho carried the state in each of its presidential elections. Trump announced his support while he was in Alaska last month for a rally in support of Republican candidates, including U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan.
Messages seeking comment were left with Wilson’s campaign Friday and Saturday. The two other Republicans running — Dave Bronson, former mayor of Anchorage, and Treg Taylor, former state attorney general — wished Kreiss-Tomkins success.
His victory means that Democrats control the governor’s offices in 30 states, including several they switched after years of Republican control.
Kreiss-Tomkins succeeds Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy, whose term limits barred him from seeking a third consecutive term. Kreiss-Tomkins said he met with Dunleavy on Saturday at a state office building in Anchorage, and the two men spoke in Dunleavy’s office.
“I enjoyed the conversation. It was gracious. He was very open and wanted to be helpful,” Kreiss-Tomkins said.
Kreiss-Tomkins said during the campaign that over the past eight years, Alaska had become “broken” and experienced a “loss of optimism.” He stressed his willingness to compromise and work across party lines and said he wanted a government made up of Republicans, Democrats and independents. He focused on issues such as affordability and advocated for fully funding K-12 public schools.
Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski was among those who supported Kreiss-Tomkins, as were former governors including her father, Republican Frank Murkowski; Bill Walker, an independent; and Tony Knowles, the state’s last Democratic governor, who left office in 2002 after two terms.
Kreiss-Tomkins said he is still working on building his team. He will be sworn in on December 7 alongside his lieutenant governor, Zac Johnson, an independent.
Kreiss-Tomkins said her decade-long experience in the Legislature will be an asset in her new role. One of the first issues he hopes to address in the legislative session that begins in January is passing an education budget that he wants to see happen quickly.
Legislative leaders outlined plans to organize bipartisan coalitions in the House and Senate.
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