Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins took an early lead in Alaska’s gubernatorial race Tuesday evening as election workers began tallying the first large batch of ballots, putting the former legislator in front with just over 65,000 votes counted.
At 8:40 p.m., with 45 of 400 precincts reporting, Kreiss-Tomkins had 55.3% of first-choice votes. Bernadette Wilson stood at 27.5%, Dave Bronson had 10.8% and Treg Taylor had 6.2%.
The early count matters because Alaska’s winner may not be decided on first preferences alone. If no candidate finishes with more than 50% of first-choice votes, ranked choice tabulation takes over. That means the race could still turn if enough Bronson and Taylor voters rank Wilson high enough to overtake the current leader.
Kreiss-Tomkins, 37, launched his campaign in February after spending a decade representing Southeast Alaska in the Legislature. He emerged as the top vote-getter in the August primary, raised more campaign cash than his three opponents combined and traveled to rural villages rarely visited by statewide office seekers. In the closing days, he also won support from Lisa Murkowski and Frank Murkowski.
That lead still sits on top of unfinished business. Officials said they will keep counting ballots until Nov. 18 and plan to certify the results on Nov. 25, leaving room for the standings to move before Alaska knows whether it is heading toward its first Democratic governor since 2002, after Mike Dunleavy’s eight years in office.
For now, Kreiss-Tomkins has the advantage. The question is whether it survives the rest of the count and, if it does not, whether ranked choice tabulation changes the race after the first ballots have already made his lead look stronger than it may end up being.
