Democrat wins Alaska governor seat for first time in almost 30 years

Detailed summary

Beside Alaska and Kansas, the Democratic Party won gubernatorial elections over Republicans in Georgia, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio and Texas, putting them in control of a majority of…

Democrats have captured Alaska’s governor’s seat for the first time in nearly three decades, marking another major victory for their party in a midterm election period that has dramatically shifted political power across the US.

Former Alaska state legislator Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins defeated three Republican opponents, including a candidate backed by US president Donald Trump, becoming the first Democrat elected governor of Alaska since 1998.

His victory – called by the Associated Press on Friday, 10 days after the polls closed – adds to a growing list of Democratic gains nationwide, bringing the party’s total to 30 US governorships. Democrats have also taken control of governor’s offices in several other long-time Republican strongholds, including Iowa, Georgia, Ohio and Texas.

Kreiss-Tomkins, widely known as JKT, secured the win having mounted a political comeback three years after departing the Alaska house of representatives.

The 37-year-old travelled extensively throughout the state during his campaign, building support around economic concerns and a promise to change the direction of Alaska’s government.

His platform centred on tackling affordability, ensuring full funding for public education, and requiring all oil and gas producers to pay corporate income taxes. He also pushed for a temporary halt to new data centre developments until state lawmakers establish regulations governing their construction.

Throughout the campaign, Kreiss-Tomkins sharply criticised the leadership of outgoing the Republican governor, Mike Dunleavy, arguing that Alaska had become “broken” during his eight years in office.

“Alaskans are hungry for change,” Kreiss-Tomkins said. “We’ve been running the same campaign since we launched in February, and I don’t take anyone’s vote for granted.”

Among his criticisms was the deterioration of the state’s ferry system, which Kreiss-Tomkins said had been left in disarray as service to numerous communities was drastically reduced.

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