Democratic Candidate for Governor Is Traversing Alaska to Flip the State

Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins is banking on an intensive voter outreach push to help Democrats make a serious run at Alaska’s governor’s seat for the first time since 1998. Though he entered the race earlier this year, he initially wasn’t the top Democrat; Tom Begich, a former state lawmaker and part of a prominent Alaska political family, led the party field. Kreiss-Tomkins’ strategy centers on building enough support to finish first in Alaska’s crowded open primary. He’s scaled up the same approach he used in 2012, when he won a State Legislature seat by 32 votes after campaigning across remote areas. Democrats see a window because Republicans dominate outside the Railbelt, and about 60% of the electorate is unaffiliated.